


Takarazuka Music School

by TNue



Series: A Love for the Ages [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Sailor Moon, F/F, F/M, HaruMichi, References to Takarazuka Kagekidan, Uranep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-04-20 05:57:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 66,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4776185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TNue/pseuds/TNue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow the lives of two amazing girls, from their teenager years, in a very strict school to stardom. They will be together? How they will cope with all the adversities life will throw them? Series 1 - Takarazuka Music School - Two different girls, one objective. To get into one of the most traditional theater company in Japan. They will be able to make their dream come true?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. About Haruka

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys, how are you all?
> 
> Well, I´m here with a new AU story featuring our incredible duo, Tenou Haruka and Kaiou Michiru. This story means a lot to me, cause I´m a HUGE fan of Takarazuka Revue and I just LOVE HaruMichi. So why not mix two of my passions?
> 
> This is my baby monster, I´m working on this story for a few months now. It started with an oneshot idea and now it´s a full series. I´m planning to write at least 25 series in this universe. And this is the first one :)
> 
> I wanna thank my impressive beta, Alex Monopoly Girl, without you, this would be probably another random idea that I would never write it down... Thanks for being a great friend and for helping me with this monster! Your ideas are incredible! Check her stories, she´s also an incredible writer!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don´t own Sailor Moon. Just borrowed its characters for this journey.. Don´t own Takarazuka or any related stuff. I have so much respect for this company and its actresses/staff.

**Chapter 1**

Takarazuka Revue is a century-old theater company, formed only by women, which is located in a small town of the same name near Osaka. Specializing in musical theater, its grandiose productions attracted a huge audience to its two theaters, and a large audience to its cable channel.

The company has five main troupes, and a sixth one for senior actresses who still wanted to maintain their association with the Revue and perform from time to time.  **Hanagumi**  and  **Tsukigumi**  are the original troupes, with the most traditional plays and larger budgets. With a more traditional approach,  **Yukigumi**  was the first troupe ever to perform  _'Elisabeth'_  in Japan.  **Hoshigumi**  was the place for very strong actresses. Last, but not least,  **Soragumi** , the youngest troupe, less traditional and more experimental.

The Takarazuka exercised great fascination to the public, mainly due one simple fact: only women could perfom, the actresses who play male parts are referred to as  **otokoyaku**  and those who play female parts are called  **musumeyaku**. The majority of Revue fans are women. And Tenou Ayako was one of those women.

Born Tsuchiya Ayako, she lived her whole life in a small town called Hakui, located in Ishikawa prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast. Hakui is the main city in the Southern Noto district, and the area contains almost all of Hakui's large shops including hardware stores, clothes shops, electronics stores, opticians, restaurants, second hand shops, pharmacists and supermarkets. Ayako was a regular girl who fell in love with Takarazuka and its magic when she was a teenager and spent a summer with her aunt, who lived in Osaka. The woman never married or had any kids, so her niece was the only one she was able to share her passion for musical theater.

She visited the Grand Theater once when she was there and she was forever amazed by its grandeur. After going back home, she spent every Sunday in front of the TV, watching Sky Stage, Takarazuka's cable television channel. Sky Stage usually broadcasts performances and regular television shows featuring interviews with the actresses and behind-the-scenes information about the currently running shows.

Being from a small town and coming from a traditional family, Ayako was alone with her fascination for the Revue. Her parents thought that being a fan would not help her with anything, that she should worry about school and finding a good husband, like her sister did before her. They did not like Ayako's aunt that much, she was very independent, and a single working woman in her forties, living alone in a big city was not something they wanted for their youngest daughter. They allowed Ayako this one luxury, being a fan, but that would be all.

When she left Hakui for college, as the first Tsuchiya woman to pursue education and a career, against her parents' wishes, Ayako could taste freedom for the first time. She wanted to become a nurse; she wanted to help people in the small clinic next to her parents' drugstore. After starting nursing school in Nagano, Ayako found out she could go to Tokyo more often. She could easily go watch her favorite stars at the brand new Takarazuka Tokyo Theater and no one would stop her.

Her days were filled with studies, part time jobs to support herself and her trips to Tokyo. And she couldn´t be happier. Even sacrificing a lot, like money and time, she was having the time of her life. She would go to the capital at least every other week, to see the plays and to see her favorite stars. Being a Takarazuka fan was an expensive hobby, but she did not really mind. Watching those women on stage, showing her a world full of fantasy and imagination made everything better

Until the day she met Hideyuki. Hideyuki was an older med student who lived in Nagano all his life. He was a sweet, humble guy, with modest dreams. He wanted to become a doctor and move to a small town, to help simple people and live a simple life.

It was love at the first sight. Hideyuki was the only son of a simple family and his lack of ambition, considered by many people as a flaw, was considered his greatest value by Ayako. They decided to wait until her graduation to get married and move back to Hakui, where he would get a job at the only existent clinic there. And they would be happy. Just like that.

Soon, Ayako's trips to Tokyo became too expensive for her, in a non-financial way. She and Hideyuki almost didn't have any time to spend together, so weekends when he wasn't doing shifts at the university hospital or pulling all-nighters to study, he would be with her. Soon, the fantasy world that Takarazuka provided her wasn't enough anymore. She still saw a few shows on Sky stage, but she just went back to a live performance on her wedding trip, when Hideyuki took her to Takarazuka.

The first time Ayako set her foot on the Theater again, after so many years, she almost cried. She was so happy for just being there and living that emotion again, with someone she dearly loved, was too much for her.

Hideyuki was a simple man. He didn't really care for arts or sports, always a practical kind of man. He was happy if his new bride was happy. And just seeing Ayako's smile during a play, was enough for him.

The couple started their married life in Hakui, they both working at the only clinic the town had. Living near her parents, Ayako could ask for her mother help when she had her first son, Hideo. She loved working by her husband's side, even if that meant not being able to spend any time with her little boy. Or watching any Takarazuka performances. Being a nurse in a small town meant taking care of everything in an almost personal way. Her husband was a kind man; he didn't mind leaving the clinic to visit his patients.

A lot of people admired the young doctor. One of them was his son. Hideo was so proud of his father that he decided to follow his steps at a really young age. He wanted too, become a doctor and live a simple life in the country. And he lived a free life, with a rich childhood. Ayako, even loving her work, decided to step down the clinic to be with her son, she didn't wanted the boy to grow up thinking life was just about work.

When Hideo left town for his medical training, his father said that he needed to grow up as a human being. Hideyuki didn't want his only son to stay in that town, doing his work. That was his dream, and his boy needed to find one of his own.

Hideo went to college in Nagano, and, just like his parents did before him, he met his future wife, Rina, there. He was this shy country kid and she was the sophisticated big city girl. Her father was the chief of medicine of a big hospital at Nagano and she wanted to be a dancer, but a car accident when she was 15 killed any chance she had. So she decided to become an English teacher. She always loved anything from the US.

He became a doctor at the age of 23, and stayed at Nagano, working at his father in law´s hospital. He always loved children and growing up as an only child helped his decision to become a pediatrician. Rina became an English teacher at the Ueda Nishi, a high school near their apartment building.

Life was good for the young Tenou couple. Their first son, Hideyuki, named after the man Hideo admired the most, was born in a sunny Saturday. The second, Hiroaki, was a quiet baby, born a couple of years later. The two boys were the joy in that little family, and their grandparents, in Hakui, loved to have them for the summer. The Tenou always thought that boys needed to be boys and having their grandsons running around their home was just a dream.

When Haruka, Hideo and Rina´s third child and first girl, was born, the whole family celebrated. After all, she was the youngest and the only girl. Rina just loved to dress her up, with cute little dresses and laces. Maybe that little blonde girl, with shiny green eyes, would help her old dreams to become true. Haruka started ballet and piano lessons when she turned four. The instrument was a constant in her mother´s life and Rina wanted her children to learn how to play it. But her boys were happier playing videogames than piano. Haruka, on the other side, just loved it.

Haruka felt so free during her ballet classes. She just felt like that was her place, where she could have fun. Her teacher, a former ballerina from Hakucho Ballet Academy, was a demanding woman, even with the little kids in her class. After all, among them could flourish a real talent. That was her motto and her kids needed to always be the best. She was very pleased to see that Haruka, who was always playing around, had the grace and posture like a real ballerina. That was talent, a real gift.

One of the girl's first memories of her grandparents' place was being in front of the TV, in a hot summer Sunday. Haruka saw how her grandmother was watching those beautiful people dancing and singing and the older woman was so ecstatic, like Haruka never saw her before. So, that magical environment started to fuel the young girl's childhood dreams. If Ayako loved that, Haruka would like it too, right[Pato1]

Her summers were filled by foolish, childish pranks and plays pranks. But every Sunday afternoon, it was the time to watch performances of that musical theater company. It was so magical that the youngest Tenou couldn't take her eyes off the screen. She was only five years old when, one afternoon like any other, she came into the house, looking for a glass of water to cool down the insane humid summer heat. Haruka spent the morning running around with her older brothers, not letting them leaving her behind.

Although younger, she always ran faster than the two boys did. Curious like every other kid her age, Haruka stopped everything she was doing to see her grandmother, an adorable old lady who always had a smile on her face, with teary eyes, practically glued to the screen. The child never saw her grandmother so excited about something, the woman didn't even notice her presence. She stared at the TV, seeing that it was some kind of recital, as it was presented with her ballet class before summer. The difference was that women and men of the TV seemed to have more fun than she had fun during the recital.

Haruka had become so bored that almost had not presented herself, but the mother had been so excited with the only daughter getting such an important role. It was so strange, she only wanted to run and play with her brothers, but her mother got so excited that had spent weeks helping the teacher to sew all the costumes. That day, she did everything right, not wanting the teacher to reprehend her in front of her entire family, including her father, who had taken a day off to watch his youngest daughter. And if Hideo had made the effort to show up, even unwillingly, it was her obligation to present the best possible job.

Haruka could even understand what the actors were saying, or rather sang. And seeing all those people with their colorful clothes, heavy makeup and wonderful voices, gave to the small child another reason to love even more spending the summer at her grandmother's house.

In that summer afternoon, a tradition was born. All Sunday afternoons were reserved for that special moment between grandmother and granddaughter. The first time, Haruka was shy, so she watched the entire show from the door, for fear of disturbing her grandmother. Soon, she was glued to the screen, where she even sang the lyrics of most famous songs.

Ayako never talked much during that show she was watching so dearly, thinking Haruka wouldn´t understand. It was just something fun for the child, she would forget about it the second she went back to Nagano. Nothing more than a childish infatuation. Ayako always watched the plays by herself; her husband never really cared enough about it to spend hours of his Sunday in front of the TV.

Although the woman already knew the kind of fascination the Revue had on people. And she always thought her granddaughter already had a great sensitivity, despite her young age. Ayako hadn´t been blessed with a daughter to share her hobbies, especially on that theater company that she followed since her teenager years. She never had the courage or the talent to be anything but a fan. Not that she would be able to do anything, her family would never let her. The thought saddened her not so much now. She had a great life, with a great son and amazing grandchildren.

And Ayako could enjoy her Sunday afternoons watching Takarazuka plays on TV, with her only granddaughter.

The woman couldn´t be happier.

* * *

Being just five years old, the child didn´t understand that there were only women on stage, due to the talent and commitment with which those actresses portraying male roles.. With their low voices and slender bodies, soft features hidden under layers of heavy makeup wouldn´t let show the true gender of those actresses.

After silently watching the presentation, Haruka decided to go back to play with her brothers in the back yard, repeating some phrases spoken during the performance, especially if it involved being protective. Her brothers, being seven and eight years old, respectively, usually got into her game, being the villains of the story that the girl reproduced with the perfection allowed by her young age.

From the house, the grandmother just watched the children playing, certain that the fascination her granddaughter felt would soon disappear, it was normal to happen with such a hyperactive child. It must be the influence of having two older brothers.

The woman took a good look at her granddaughter, as the child ran from one side to another, jumping from one brother to another. She had her long blonde hair tied in a braid, like always. The young girl didn´t like it so long, but her mother thought a girl needed long beautiful hair, like a real lady. But the child couldn´t care less. At age five, she was still a kid, her life was running around and playing with boys who lived in her neighborhood. She didn´t even care if they´re older than her. She always said that girls were so boring.

Ayako knew her granddaughter had a thing for any kind of excitement; She loved feeling the wind hitting her face as she ran. And she ran! If the little girl had inherited any talent from her father was his speed. As soon as she learned how to walk, running came right after.

Just like Hideo, 30 years before her, she also had the same green eyes, just like him. And even begin a little tomboyish, she was Hideo's beloved princess, his baby girl. And the girl hated being called that. She hated being treated differently for being a girl.

"Haruka! Hideyuki! Hiroaki! Come eat watermelons!" The woman said, putting the tray with red triangles perfectly aligned along the doorway.

Since her grandchildren were born, Ayako's house had never been empty. Her only son had moved to Nagano for college, so it was good to see the house so full of life, even if only for a few weeks during the summer. Nagano was a beautiful town, with beautiful snowy landscapes, but it was a large city, a true metropolis. A little too much for her. She loved how calm and boring her life was now.

Seeing the children running to sit on a wooden pallet and the boys begin to fight for watermelon pieces, the old woman focused on the girl, in her bare and dirty feet. She seemed far from the princess that her father believed she was.

"Haruka?" she called, smiling at her distracted granddaughter. With a huge piece of watermelon in her mouth, she chewed quickly to respond to her grandmother with the education that her mother taught her, but she almost choked. Laughing lightly, Ayako stroked the girl's back, helping her to swallow the lump. Haruka laughed her flawed smile; her baby teeth began to fall in late April, and wiped her mouth.

"Did you like that play you watched with Grandma?" Maybe every adult had this unconscious fear of not being able to entertaining such small children. And Ayako wasn't different. She was a little sarcastic, but taking care of her grandkids meant a lot to her.

"Unh!" "Haruka shook her head excitedly. "I'm gonna be a hero just like that guy! And I'll save all the damsels!" She stood up, putting on her best battle posture. Decided to not to confuse the child's head, telling about the cast being all-female, the woman just smiled when she saw her other two grandchildren playing with Haruka.

* * *

At eight, Haruka did not look at all like her age. She was a little too tall for her age, being easily mistaken by a 12 year old, due to years of physical activity and good genes. Her blonde hair was a little shorter now, around her shoulders, and she was getting used to it. Since she was a very active girl, she hated how her hair got in her way.

Another summer was fast approaching and now could go to her grandmother's house with her newest friend, Chiba Mamoru.

Haruka had met the boy when his family has moved to the apartment above hers. Mamoru's mother was a doctor in the same hospital Haruka's father worked and his father was a lawyer. Without siblings or other kids his age, it wasn't hard for the both of them quickly become best friends. Even being polar opposites, Mamoru being a quiet child and Haruka always so active and running around.

"You´re gonna love my grandma's. We can go to the beach, she can drive us to the lake, and we will build sandcastles, and catch fireflies!" The blonde little girl explained to her friend, who was seated by her side, on their way to Hakui.

No one could really understand how those kids became friends, but since Haruka's brother decided she was too young to play with them. Being 13, Hideyuki was a teenager now. He just started middle school and being the serious boy he always was, he already decided his future. The boy wanted to be a doctor, like his father and grandfather. He didn't have time to play with an 8 year old. Haruka didn't really mind, she always thought Hideyuki was too boring.

Hiroaki was 12 and even not being like his brother, he didn't want to lose any time with his younger sister. He was always playing his videogames and Haruka liked to run, always playing outside, chasing the other kids around. That was a little too much for him.

Mamoru was a quiet and shy boy. He and his parents just moved to Nagano, from Tokyo. Normally, children would hate moving far away, but not him. Since his parents worked a lot, he spent most of his days by himself. Moving to Nagano, after his mother got a job at Nagano City Hospital as an obstetrician, was just a new chapter in his life. And he couldn't help but feel excited. It was like an adventure, just like his father had said. And Mamoru always believed in his father's words.

The boy met Haruka when Rina took her to meet the new neighbors, just after their move. And they just clicked. Rina and Mamoru's mother even joked, saying they would become a couple and get married someday, but the children were so unphased by this idea. They were just kids, they had more important things to worry about.

Haruka invited Mamoru to spend two weeks of their summer at her grandma's place. Since the boy would be alone for the most part of his vacations, his parents didn't see a problem, and they knew their son Mamoru was a responsible boy, he knew how to behave. And since the Tenous didn't mind taking him, they didn't mind either being away from him.

The trip to Hakui was quiet. A bored Hiroaki was playing on his phone, mad cause he couldn't bring any of his games. Hideyuki was reading a book about anatomy that he borrowed from his father's personal library. And behind the wheel, Rina was focused on the road. This wasn't the first time she would be staying by herself at her mother-in-law's. Hideo had to work, as usual.

She didn't mind he was always working, and she didn't mind at all spending time with her mother in law. Ayako treated Rina like the daughter she never had. And Rina knew how much Ayako loved spending time with Haruka, watching shows on TV.

Rina herself prefered books, specially american literature. She always loved anything american. At college, she studied English, and she went to visit the US when she was still single. And, as an English teacher, she was very fond of literature but Rina knew that watching plays really helped grandmother and granddaughter to bond.

They would be staying in Hakui for 2 weeks and Rina knew Haruka was a little too young to make that trip by herself. So it was up to to take her daughter to Hakui, cause, even loving grandmother so she thought it important to grow along with her grandparents and Japanese culture which is always important that contact with older And even loving american culture, she thought it important to grow along with her grandparents and Japanese culture which is always important that contact with the elderly[Pato2]

As always, the days passed quickly for children. Hakui was a quiet, boring city. At least for the older boys. For Haruka and Mamoru, it was pure bliss. They could run on the beach, swim in the lake; go to festivals or hunt fireflies. In Nagano it was so much harder to do it all.

The only time that Haruka and Mamoru were not together was on Sunday afternoons. That was Haruka and Ayako personal time, to watch the plays on TV together. Mamoru didn´t understand why his best freiend was so hooked, so mesmerized by the TV.

That was pretty much the only time he was alone, so he took that free time to work on his summer reading. Mamoru couldn't really understand the fantasy world Haruka was locked in during Sunday afternoons. To be honest, he thought people singing and dancing on stage was a little too dumb.

Hiroaki even told him men didn't watch those kind of plays and Haruka was always fighting him, because she thought it was something that everyone should see. Those shows were one of the few connections with her grandmother she had, so she thought it was important enough for other people to watch, and see how complex the screenplays were. Even if she didn't entirely understand it at least now she knew that only women were allowed to perfom, not men and women like she first believed.

Mamoru didn't really understand Haruka's passion about the Revue. And yet, he thought that was the best summer of his life. Simply because he could feel in his bones that he would be friends with this girl forever. He didn't care the fact they're only eight years old.

And he wouldn't feel alone ever again.

* * *

On the day that Haruka celebrated her 10th birthday, she received an unexpected gift from her grandmother. Ayako had called earlier in the previous week, saying that the two of them would spend the 27th together. The girl couldn't wait, it was so rare her grandmother getting out of town where she lived, to visit her in Nagano. Haruka had been so excited to know that Grandma was coming, especially to spend the day with her, it was really something else.

But on her birthday, a date that was more than special, even more by visiting grandma. Ayako had kept quiet about what they would do and this had left Haruka so anxious that she had not slept well. After all, the summers in Hakui were the highlights of her year.

Haruka loved spending tine with her grandma, listening to her stories, about her youth and the first years of marriage. Her favortite was about her grandpa Hideyuki took Ayako to Takarazuka.

As Haruka grew older, she learned more about the Revue and their amazing actresses. Haruka was fascinated by otokoyakus, actresses responsible for bringing to life the male roles. The otokoyakus were very popular, they represented the perfect men.

When the bell rang, the girl ran to answer. Tenou Ayako was a small, thin woman with blond hair starting to gray, stuck in a high bun. She wore her purple-framed glasses that matched her brown eyes. Wearing a black pencil skirt that reached below the knees, a white blouse and a red cardigan, she looked a little older than she really was. Haruka had never seen her grandmother wear clothes so serious before and she got worried for a second. But Ayako grinned and opened her arms.

"I spent the last few hours on the train. Can I have a hug from the birthday girl?" she said.

The girl jumped into her grandmother's arms, smiling.

"Haruka! Let your grandmother in!" Rina yelled from the kitchen where she was busy frosting Haruka's birthday cake.

"Rina, you don't need to worry, I plan to take the birthday girl for a ride," Ayako said, still by the door. She didn't use to visit her son. However, she had a big surprise for her only granddaughter and she couldn't wait to see her face. "Why don't you go change, Haruka? Our train leaves in 40 minutes."

Ayako smiled at her granddaughter running back to her room. Despite her height, Haruka was nothing more than a sweet child. She was always with a smile on her face, happy with everything she did. At school, she was popular and adored by her classmates and teachers.

Haruka said goodbye to her baby ballet lessons, for age 4 to 6 students and started her children's classes. She was a rising star, her ballet instructors were so proud of her talent and how they helped her develop her gift. All of them were unanimous about one thing: Haruka not following a dance career would be a terrible loss.

Haruka loved every second of her ballet classes. In ballet, she felt like she could express herself and be just who she really was. And there's nothing better then let her body move.

She had two passions in life. One was ballet and the other one running. And she ran like the wind. Her mother, in a playful mode, was always saying her daughter learned to run before learning to walk. She also loved to play the piano, but Haruka was a very physical child, the piano was too static for someone who could not sit still.

"Mother? Why don't you come inside? I'll make you some tea. " Rina said, still not understanding why her mother in law was just standing there. She couldn't remember the last time she saw Ayako in such classy clothes.

"I hope you don't mind me taking Haruka out today. But I assure you it's a good surprise and I know for sure she will love it. "

Rina smiled. Ayako spent the last 3 hours in a train, just to be with her granddaughter on her birthday. The boys were out, Hiroaki was spending the day studying with his brother at the library, getting ready for high school entrance exams and Hideo was working at the hospital, as usual. She would ask him to start taking easy, working less hours, maybe even moving to Hakui one day and taking over his father's clinic. Specially now, that the kids were growing up...

It was her youngest child's birthday; Rina was trying really hard to stop that 'I'm getting old' feeling that she had. Haruka was growing into a fine young lady. Maybe a little tomboish, but how couldn't she not be? Always surrounded by men, it was just natural. That's one of the main reasons Rina was so adamant of her daughter doing ballet classes.

In a record time, the girl was ready, her long blond hair in the usual ponytail, she hated her hair being so long, but she also knew how much her mother loved her hair. If it was up to her, she would have short hair by now.

Haruka didn't have a lot of fancy clothes. She knew her grandmother was taking her to a special place, cause she never saw Ayako wearing clothes like that before. Her grandmother was more of a kimono lady, but coming all the way from Hakui wearing a kimono wouldn't be practical. So, with that in mind, Haruka decided to wear a cute green dress her father bought her last Christmas. She was Hideo's little princess and even not being all girly, he liked to buy her dresses. Haruka tried to tell him she was not a dress kind of girl, but she realized, at an early age, it wouldn't kill her to do that for him.

So, she wore her pretty girly cute green dress, and got her black doll shoes. Those shoes weren't comfortable, but they were perfect with the dress. In 20 minutes, the young girl stood in front of her grandmother, excited about their mysterious trip. Ayako looked at her, feeling proud of her only granddaughter. She waved her goodbyes to Rina and Haruka kissed her mother's cheek.

"Have fun, you two. Cake will be here when you come back, "she said, while Haruka was putting in her dolly shoes. "I'll have Haruka's room ready for you, mother. This way you will be able to rest," Rina finished.

"Let's go Haruka. We don't wanna be late, right?"

And off they were, to this new surprise adventure.

It took them 3 hours in a tedious train to get to their destination. Being an active child, Haruka was bored in no time. Ayako, already knowing how to deal with this, stated to tell some old stories about her college days, and how she took this very same train to go to Tokyo and have fun with her friends.

And as usual, Haruka listened to her grandmother's stories with real interest. The only time they had together was during the summer. The birthday girl still didn't know where Ayako was taking her, but their destination didn't really matter now. They talked a lot, Haruka talking about her latest ballet recitals, and how boring school was. She wasn't a bad student, but, unlike her older brother, Haruka wasn't a big fan of school. She was well liked by her classmates and teachers, the fastest girl in gym class, but she would give up school in no time.

"If you don't like school, what are you planning to do in the future, Haruka?" Ayako asked, looking at the window, they were really close now.

"I don't know, grandma... I think I'll like school later, just like Hide-nichan, " That was the first time she admitted her general dislike about school and all, and that made her feel a little embarrassed. Her father and grandfather were doctors, her mother was a teacher. She should be, at least, a little excited about learning.

"You're still really young, dear. You'll find out soon... Just don't worry about it now. Or today." Ayako kissed her granddaughter's forehead, feeling the train stop. The older woman took a deep breath and got up, taking the girl by her hand. This is it. She hoped this trip had the same effect on Haruka that the one she made when she was Haruka's age, to her aunt's place, so many decades ago. Even today, Ayako couldn't forget how amazed she felt back then.

Tokyo was a huge city. Nagano was practically a small village next to how enormous the capital was. With almost 20 million people, Tokyo was a huge, modern, never sleeping organism. With tall buildings and people always running around, even not being late but always busy, it was beautiful in its weird, messy cacophony.

Haruka was extatic when they left the station. She never saw Tokyo outside the TV, it was a whole new world for the 10 year old. Who could think a place like this was just a few hours away?

Ayako was smiling when she called her granddaughter's name. She was once like this, amazed by the big city, but Haruka, even in her young age, already had something that Ayako didn't.

Braveness.

Looking at the child, Ayako saw anything but fear. She already knew Haruka was a courageous girl, and she felt pride of her little girl, so young and so not scared of the big city. For someone who was born and raised in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, a place like Tokyo could be scary. But Haruka was so excited, like she always was.

Ayako called her granddaughter's attention and took her by the hand. Tokyo was a big place and she didn't want to lose her. They called a cab, Ayako telling the driver where to go. Haruka was so amazed by everything she was seeing, the buildings, the people. Oh the people! Everyone was so different! Even for a Saturday, anywhere she looked she could see someone doing something. And Ayako was contagied by this happiness.

"What are we doing here, Grandma?" The child asked after a few minutes. It was the middle of the day and yet, everything was so bright. She didn't have any clue to where Ayako was taking her.

"You will see, child."

The ride was considerably short. The traffic wasn't that bad for a Saturday and they arrived at their destination in no time. Haruka saw many people gathering in front of a beautiful building, some of them were wearing matching colorful jackets. Most of them were women, who were smiling and talking quietly to each other. Ayako let Haruka look around and realize where they were. Curious about what was happening, Haruka looked around. She was the only kid there, at least the only young one. She saw teenagers, young women and middle-aged ladies, all waiting patiently in line.

Wait. This couldn't be truth. Her grandmother couldn't have done this to her. Haruka looked up and saw, in graceful letters, the name of the building.

_Takarazuka Tokyo Theater._

"I used to come here all the time when I was young. It's a beautiful place, brings me so many memories," The older woman said, taking the tickets out of her purse. That was the first time Ayako saw Haruka speechless. She knew the girl liked to watch the plays with her, during the time they spent together in the summer, but she had no idea Haruka would react like this. She had this idea, of taking Haruka to watch her first live performance a couple of years ago, but only now her granddaughter was old enough. She felt like crying, watching the girl so flabbergasted by the sight of the theater.

She felt that exatcly same way, when she stood at that same spot, more than 30 years ago. The exilirating feeling, of being part of something so beautiful, it was a pure dream. And she knew Haruka couldn't believe they were there.

"Are we going to watch a play? I mean, we're going to watch a live play? With people? We're going to watch the Revue? Live?" Haruka was so excited she was talking really fast. Ayako just kept smiling, knowing she did something good. She gave the tickets to Haruka, seeing her granddaughter trying to read. Some kanji were a little complicated for a 10 year old, but she didn't care.

She was going to watch a play in a Takarazuka theater for the first time in her life. Nothing else mattered.

Ayako and Haruka were walking back to the station, to catch the train back to Nagano. By the older woman's calculations, they would be home just in time for a late dinner. Probably they would have Haruka's birthday cake tomorrow morning, before Ayako needed to go back to Hakui.

Haruka was surprisingly quiet during their trip back to Nagano. Ayako thought she was tired, they had a really long day, with travels and the play. The Revue tickets were a little expensive, and Ayako made sure to get the best ones she could find. After all, it was a speciall occasion and Haruka deserved the best.

"If you liked this theater, we should go to the grand theater, next year," Ayako said, trying to capture her granddaughter's attention. She was trying to not being worried by Haruka's silence. She was just tired. That's all.

Ayako knew that a tiny possibility of Haruka hating her gift and not telling her existed. Of course, after all, Haruka was a honest child, and maybe she was afraid of hurting her grandmother's feelings. The girl knew how important being there meant to her. Ayako felt silly now.

"Grandma..."

Haruka broke the silence, ignoring Ayako's statement. She raised her eyes, looking at the woman in front of her. She was so grateful for what Ayako did for her, for this special day.

For basically changing her life.

Again.

"What is it, Haruka?"

"I wanna... " Haruka started, her voice so low, like she was uncertain or even scared. She was celebrating her 10th birthday. Her brother made this same decision when he was younger than she was.

This was right.

"What do I need to do to be on that stage? 'Cause… That's what I want to do. I want to be there, I want to be in Takarazuka. And one day you'll watch me in the Grand Theater!"

Again, then young girl was excited again . She was just gathering her thoughts to explain to Ayako her feelings.

"Really? If you're serious about this, I'll talk to your father about it."

"I am! I wanna be an actress! Just like those we just saw! Just like those we watch every Sunday!"

The old woman closed her eyes and smiled, happy for treating herself a trip to Tokyo, like she did when she was just a student, all those years ago. And now, she would have the most amazing reason to ensure the rides again...

TBC.


	2. About Michiru

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don´t own Sailor Moon. Just borrowed its characters for this journey.. Don´t own Takarazuka or any related stuff. I have so much respect for this company and its actresses/staff.

Chapter 2

The Kaiou Family were known to be a family dedicated to music. Basically, all its members were musicians or were connected to the music somehow, sponsoring artists, orchestras, conductors and composers.  
The musical studies began at early age. Before the Great War was common for them to learn traditional instruments, like koto, Japan´s national instrument, a 13-string zither, about 2 meters long and made of wood; shamisen, 3-string lute and a biwa, a short-necked lute. But then it became a custom for just women would learn to play any of them. Few Kaiou were interested in dance or the stages and the ones who were interested were more of branch family, not even carrying the Kaiou surname. It was like the whole family had a gene that gave them a perfect ear. The few who preferred not to make as musicians became teachers or composers.

  
It wasn't rare for any of them to receive an invitation to play at the most prestigious places. Parties, dances, gatherings. The Kaiou were friends of politicians and other high authorities. Some people even said the Emperor himself was among their admirers.  
A couple of siblings, Daiki and Saeko, formed the new generation of the family who lived in Osaka, the third largest city in the country. Older than his sister by two years, Daiki was what people called a prodigy. At the age of ten, he performed with the Osaka orchestra, playing his violin. His studies were all focused on enhancing his abilities with the violin . At 12, he already had recorded two albums with his own compositions.

  
Saeko had slower pace than her brother, but since the Kaiou were a very traditionalist family, they thought a woman's place was by her husband side, providing suport, taking care of the house and the children. But in a family of musicians, women could learn how to play, and they made good teachers at the Kaiou School for Philharmonic Studies, the classical conservatory the family maintained for a couple of generations. But still, it was expected for the Kaiou women to retire after their marriage.  
Saeko was a cellist and she became a professional at 16, just after her brother graduated from high school. Her first job was at Osaka Orchestra, the same one where her brother performed 8 years earlier.  
Talented and focused, it didn't take too long for other institutions to start paying attention to her. While the brother traveled the country performing, she remained in Osaka, helping her parents running the family business and performing regularly as the first cello in Takarazuka Orchestra, at the Grand Theater.

  
And sitting in the middle of the orchestra, in the gap between the stage and a catwalk, used by the actreses to be closer to the public, Saeko had become a fan of the theater company. From her privileged seat, she accompanied dress rehearsals and plays, saw new stars starting their careers and got all sentimental about the last performances of the older actresses.

  
As a musician, being there was something special. The Takarazuka Orchestra existed since the beginning of the Revue, in 1914. The musicians perfomed live in each show at the Grand Theater. Saeko started as a junior cellist, performing at the smaller theater before being promoted to the Grand Theater at the age of 20. Although only women could take the stage, the company was run strictly by men and had a very patriarchal view on everything. The pay wasn't much, but she didn't need a lot of money. She worked that for pure love for her instrument, for the music. That’s what led her to accept the invitation to be part of the Revue. And Saeko couldn't want another life.

  
Everything was great in the siblings' lives. Until a stroke took away the Kaiou patriarch, forcing a 27 years old Daiki to give up his position as first violinist at New Japan Philharmonic, one of the best orchestra in the whole country. He had to move back to Osaka and take care of his family legacy. To stay focused on music, his great passion, Daiki had divided his time between taking care of the family's school and being a teacher at Osaka College of Music.  
It wasn't the ideal solution. He wasn't on stage, recieving standing ovations. But teaching was also extremely rewarding. And a traveling musician's life was extremely lonely. Virtually no social life, Daiki saw in this new phase of his life a chance to socialize more with people. Specially cause he was a little socially awkward.

  
That's how he met Iwasaki Natsuki, a graceful violinist who had been invited by the university to be the soloist for the season.

  
She didn't want to get involved with anyone. Despite being only 23 years old; she had already traveled across the country performing, not staying for too long in the cities she visited, looking to make a name for herself. And he was a respected musician, owner of an prestigious conservatory.

*******  
Saeko was the one who saw the mutual attraction between the two. They seemed like teenagers who lost the gift of speech in the presence of the other. Of course, Saeko didn't miss the chance to mess with her brother. She always thought he was always too serious. Just like every Kaiou, including herself, he lived only for his music. Nothing else interested him. Until the day he met that graceful girl.  
In the last presentation of the university orchestra, pressured by Saeko, Daiki asked Natsuki out and the girl only agreed because she thought she would never see him again.

  
The following year they were married.

  
They were the typical boring couple, too sweet, too in love and always praising each other. Daiki was extremely serious, focused and deeply devoted to his work; he dealed with music in an almost scientific way.  
Being much younger than her husband, Natsuki still bore the freshness of her teenager years. She wanted to see the world, playing at the best opera houses around the globe. Natsuki admired her husband's talent, but she didn't agree with his idea of staying in Japan to take care of his family legacy. So when the opportunity came for her to go play in the United States, as guest soloist at the Boston orchestra, Natsuki didn't think twice.

  
She left her husband behind, forcing the man to make a choice. He could go with her and return to the stage, to his place like he was meant to be. Or he could continue following the footsteps of his ancestors and live a simple life. Passing on all the musical knowledge accumulated over generations.

  
Traditionalist, Daiki thought a wife's place was by her husband. And it was Natsuki's duty to stay beside him, supporting him in his decisions.

The family above all.

  
Saeko, which was still part of Takarazuka orchestra, offered to take the reigns in the Kaiou conservatory, like she had done before, when she helped her father and after his death, before handling it to Daiki. Although supported by his sister, Daiki refused to follow his wife, causing the first fight between the young couple.

  
Natsuki left him behind; she wanted to believe her husband had other responsibilities and therefore couldn't leave the country other than just being a patriarchal jerk who thought she belonged at home, taking care of him and his children. Natsuki wasn't a woman who abandoned her ideals. Coming from a single-parent family, she had grown to be an independent woman.

  
Furious, Daiki devoted himself to work. He had never been challenged that way. Saeko tried to help, take the weight off his back, but his male pride was deeply wounded.  
But Natsuki didn't stay in the US for too long. She had signed a 6-months contract, but when she found out she was pregnant, she decided to return to Japan and give a new chance to her stubborn husband. Natsuki grew up without a father and she didn't want the same for her child.

  
Daiki was ecstatic with the news and tried to convince his wife the baby was reason enough for her to retire and dedicated herself to their family. And again, Natsuki decided to not listen to him. She loved Daiki dearly and wanted to make her marriage work. She knew her husband was raised in a very old fashioned family. But she wasn't going to let that influence her choices. Daiki was a gentle and talented man, passionate about music. He was sensitive and quiet who expressed himself better with a violin in his hands. His students could feel the love he had for his instrument.

  
Natsuki knew Daiki would be a good father. And when the doctor put the little baby in his arms, she saw his eyes filled with tears. That was the moment she knew he had found another passion in his life.

********  
Michiru was a carbon copy of her father, with the same deep blue eyes and aquamarine hair. Like all other Kaiou, her contact with music began at a very early age. At the age of 4, she was able to play simple melodies on violin that her father had made especially for her. The girl learned to read music before even learning how to write. Creative, she played different notes from the music sheets, cause she thought music should be free, not just doodles on paper.  
Even having a very hectic routine; Daiki always tried to spend time with his daughter. Being an avid student, the girl absorbed everything her father taught her.

  
Saeko had retired from Takarazuka Orchestra when Michiru was 2 years old. She had married a man named Mizuno Jun, one of the junior conductors at the orchestra and they were expecting their first child. Unlike her sister in law, she had the same train of thought as her brother and even loving her career, it was expected of her to dedicated herself to the family she was building with her new husband. And that way, she could help more in the family conservatory, so Daiki could have more free time.  
Life was good for both siblings. They live very close by; so their daughters played together all the time. Since Saeko spent most of her time at home, she took care of her niece whenever was possible. And Michiru treated her cousin Ami as her own little sister.  
Michiru was a graceful child. She and her cousin began early practicing traditional dance, a custom for Kaiou women. Unlike Ami, Michiru had fluid movements like a dancer, even being just 5 years old. Ami always copied the older girl's footsteps, but her movements were clumsy and opaque.

  
Dressed with her flowery kimono, Michiru shone. She quickly learned any choreography, and in the most beautiful way…

******  
After starting kindergarten, Ami lost interest in dance and music. She had discovered another world, thanks to reading. She learned to read faster than Michiru and soon started to give priority to her studies. She was always reading something.  
The Kaiou valued education, of course. Ami's sudden disinterest in music was seen as something common for her age. Nothing to worry about.

  
When Daiki was invited to give lectures in an American university, Natsuki did everything for her husband to accept it. She hated lying to her husband, but she had been talking to some people at Broadway, to accompany them in the new musical they were producing. Again, it was a huge opportunity for her and she wanted to take it.

  
To her surprise, Daiki accepted the invitation. He explained to her since Saeko always did a good work taking good care of their school, would not now that she would miss with the family.  
What Natsuki didn't expect was Daiki's idea to leave Michiru behind, under Saeko's care. She knew they would be really busy and barely available to take care of their daughter, but Michiru was just a child, she needed both of her parents. After a few nights deliberating with her husband, she realized it was the best for her girl. And Saeko didn't mind. She loved her niece and liked having her around. Especially to make company to Ami. Unlike her older cousin, Ami was a very shy girl and didn't have many friends. The two girls were best friends; it would be just awful to separate them.

  
*****  
If Michiru missed her parents, she never let it affect her. And never let anyone even think she was missing them. Always with a polite smile on her beautiful face, all the years of dancing gave her a graceful and elegant figure. Educated and talented, she was very loved by everyone in the family conservatory, where she had her violin classes, and in the school she attended.

  
Like every Kaiou women before her, Michiru attended the prestigious Osaka Girls' Academy, a traditional school for young ladies like her. With classes from kinder garden until college, the Academy was a private and old school, where wealthy girls spend most of their days, learning how to be proper ladies. Among the regular curriculum, the girls had etiquette and home economics classes.

  
Being 2 years older than Ami, Michiru reigned absolute in her floor. Ami had better grades but Michiru was the young lady who guided the student orchestra to standing ovations in every presentation they made.  
At school, Ami and Michiru barely saw each other. Eight year old Ami had no access to the floor of the fifth year. But Michiru was always available to have lunch with her cousin. She knew Ami was shy and loved books. And the aquamarine haired girl always preferred her dear cousin's company, over the young vultures from her class, all of them just wanted a slice of her popularity. Michiru just hated that.

  
It was Michiru who remembered Ami that sometimes it was necessary that the girl left the books aside and dedicated herself to the cello, even for a little bit. She didn't care if Ami wanted to be a musician just like the rest of the family or not. She just wanted her cousin to be happy. Ami didn't carry the Kaiou surname, since she inherited her father's last name, and she hoped that would be enough for her cousin to follow her own path, build her own destiny.

  
Destiny

  
It was a funny word with a meaning so deep and Michiru found herself thinking on her own. Since her early childhood, everything was chosen for her. Which she instrument would play. What kind of music she would enjoy. Which school she would attend.  
No one ever asked her for her opinion. Although she knew she would probably be ignored, a child's opinion would never be taken into account, but she still had some insight and maturity to know what was best for her.  
Her whole life was determined just like musical notes scrawled in the score. Unchangeable. It was like if she had received a marked tune and it was her obligation to play just like that.

  
At the age of 10, Michiru felt suffocated by her own surname. She loved her violin; she could see herself being a successful violinist in the future. But the girl felt like she was tied to the instrument.  
Did her father ever felt like that when he was her age? When it was expected of her just talented and exciting performances? She was just 10 years old and yet, she felt like she couldn't dream at all. Wasn't she supposed to have all these weird fantasies about wanting to be a princess when she grows up or any other childish thing?

  
There were a lot of unanswered questions that permeated the young girl's heart. Perhaps these questions were part of growing old. But Michiru wanted to stop playing just because she felt like this was her obligation. Perhaps a challenge was exactly what she needed.  
******  
In one of the few days that none of the girls had after-school activities, they arrived home early. Ami wanted to spend some time in the library, but Michiru was exhausted and she wanted to go home, specially because she had not been sleeping well. The last time that her parents called her, they informed her she would be moving to New York, cause now things were better for the couple, they had find a good place to live, work was great and in better hours, so it was a perfect time for Michiru to be living again with her parents.

  
The small family gathered wherever possible, during the school holidays and between seasons. Technology also allowed parents and daughter to communicate better, even being an ocean away. They thought the experience would be important for their little girl, experiencing a new culture. They hoped that language wouldn’t be an issue, according to the school curriculum; Michiru should know how to communicate in English. Of course, it was expected that she overcome this difficulty quickly enough. After all, she was a Kaiou and that meant something.

  
Her parents deciding she should join them wasn´t the problem. In fact, she was really happy, the idea of moving was new and exciting. Even if this meant leaving her aunt, uncle and cousin behind. When her parents left her behind, Michiru adopted Saeko, Ami and Jun as her family. Saeko was the one who made her lunch and took her to concerts. Jun was the loving uncle who practiced with her. Ami was more than a cousin, she was her sister.  
Saeko even took her and Ami to watch some plays at the Takarazuka Grand Theater, since it was just a short train ride away and where her husband was still working as a conductor. Saeko truly missed working there, but she knew all the work she was doing at the family music conservatory was also very important.

  
She was sitting on the couch, talking animatedly with another woman when the girls arrived.

  
"Oh, they are here! You will love them, Mayuko, I'm sure!" Saeko got up and went to the door to greet Ami and Michiru. It wasn´t hard to see Saeko smiling, but it was rare for her to had guests over. Since she was really busy with her work and her family, her crazy hours didn’t not help her maintain a good social life.

  
"Mayuko, this is my daughter, Ami. And my niece, Kaiou Michiru."  
On cue, the girls made a short bow, like they were taught to do. The woman named Mayuko, looked older in her dark blue dress, just a hint of makeup and her hair tied in a tight bun. She smiled, such well-behaved girls.  
"I am very pleased to meet both of you. Saeko-san does not stop talking about you. I am Watsuki Mayuko." she said, in a very polite way. Michiru couldn´t take her eyes off the woman. She noticed that Mayuko had black hair in a beautiful bun on top of her head. She was dressed in a sober and elegant way and her manners were so polite and contained.

  
As expected of a lady.

  
"Mayuko recently graduated from the Revue and she´s planning to start teaching a preparatory class for Music School and we´re talking about her using one of our classrooms." Saeko explained, "We met a few years ago when I still worked there."  
While drinking tea and eating cookies made by Michiru in her Home Economics class, Mayuko and Saeko were telling stories about the time they worked together in the Revue, and Michiru was paying attention to every details. To her, the Revue was an extremely serious and professional place, in every possible level. Listening to her aunt talking so excitedly about her days as a musician, feeling nostalgia in her tone was something that bothered the girl.  
She knew Saeko had ended her career in order to marry. It was a choice she made, because only Revue actresses were forbidden to get married while they were on active duty. The musician’s didn´t have this restriction, but Saeko preferred to devote herself to home and family. Michiru never voiced her worries, but she knew the same thing was expected of her and Ami.

  
Her mother didn´t suffer this pressure because she was a Kaiou by marriage. But she had witnessed countless discussions among parents about it. Daiki wanting Natsuki to retire and she refusing to in an almost provocative way.  
"Michiru is an excellent violinist; she has a bright future ahead of her," Michiru heard Saeko say. She was so lost in her own thoughts and paid no attention in the conversation that was happening before her.

  
The girl just smiled politely and excused herself to go to her bedroom. She had a lot to think before her trip to the United States.  
******  
A few months passed since Michiru had left Japan. Now she lived in a comfortable apartment in the Upper West Side, close to Central Park. She had her own room and since Michiru always shared with Ami, she was having a hard time to get used to sleeping alone.

  
Her parents were still working a lot, but now with their daughter around, they always made an effort to have dinner together every night. It was a valid effort, the girl was still adapting to the new school, new home and most importantly, to a new country. The adults needed to pay more attention and help her with this transition.

  
Daiki was happy to have his girl back. He made his personal mission to take his daughter to museums, opera houses, theaters and of course, to know the university where he was teaching.

  
Several times father and daughter watched Natsuki performing and for the first time in her life, Michiru understood why her mother was so adamant to not give up on her career. Natsuki was so talented; she treated her violin like it was an extension of her arms.

  
Daiki never suspected that Michiru was more interested in seeing the actors than musicians. She was already thinking about not pursuing a career as a violinist and the girl was starting to take this idea a little too seriously. She wanted to do something different with her life. Break all the rules and be free to choose her own future.

  
Like becoming an actress. Maybe even a Takarazuka star. She knew living in the United States could complicate things a little, but this was something she could see herself doing. At least for a while. Takarazuka Revue offered a safe space for a girl like her. So it was indeed a place to consider.

  
Michiru knew she was only a child, but she could now see her future with a bright hope, so different from before. And it was so different from what was expected of her.  
*******  
Because they were living in different time zones, Michiru was only able to talk to her relatives back in Japan on weekends. She knew how family was important and she wanted to be close to them, even living an ocean away. She missed her cousin, her aunt and uncle and even her old school and friends. She thought the American school she attended was so different from what she was used to. Japanese schools operate for more days in a year compared to American schools. She missed her Saturday’s classes. And American schools made use of better technology than Japanese schools. Michiru never felt the need to learn how to properly use a computer, and her old academy didn´t help with that.

  
In New York, the young girl still had a busy life. Between school and violin practice, she made time to attend acting classes, offered to the students at her school. Without her parents´ knowledge, Michiru spent two hours every week pretending to be someone else. She was the youngest student in the group and luckily, language wasn´t a problem. The years of dancing had given her total control over her body; her body language helped her a lot with communication.  
The acting classes were the highlight of her week. In that room, she found herself free of obligations, away from the weight of her traditional last name. She was free of her violin and didn´t even feel any guilty. With each class, she was more and surer her place was on stage and not in the orchestra.

  
Homesickness was also part of her daily routine. She tried not to think about it, but she was in an age that familiarity, consistency was important. Her parents made a lot of effort to make her feel at home, but New York was a huge living organism. Maybe too alive for her at the moment. She was born and raised in Osaka, one of Japan´s greatest cities, but it was so not the same.

  
With the little time to spare that the girl had, Michiru spent watching some of Revue´s old plays, especially Mayuko´s, who was a former musumeyaku at Tsukigumi. Actresses who specialized in female roles always caught Michiru´s attention, she didn´t understand why otokoyaku, the actresses who played male roles, were so much more famous.

  
Michiru was truly fascinated in how those women behaved on stage. Always very delicate, with fluid movements, they shone like the stars they were. The chemistry between the main couples, the top combination as they were called, was something so beautiful to see.

  
The girl had no doubt. She would return to Japan and become a musumeyaku. And she would do anything to turn this into her reality.  
*******  
The Kaiou returned to Tokyo just before Michiru´s 15th birthday. Natsuki had received an invitation to join Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra and Daiki decided to apply for a spot at the Osaka College of Music. This way he could go back to the family conservatory, releasing Saeko from her obligations. His obligations. He couldn´t just leave his family, his legacy behind. And Daiki found a passion in teaching and doing presentations wasn´t something he felt like doing anymore. And he was fine with it.  
The three of them moved to a house near the family school. And at that house was the only place where the family of musicians had the freedom they needed. Except Michiru. When her parents wanted her to play with them, she did with a smile on her face. But she tried to tell Daiki and Natsuki of her decision. She spent all her time in New York learning how to be a good actress, learning to sing, waiting to be able to go back to Japan before her 18th birthday, the limit age for applying for the Music School.

  
Michiru was happy to return to her home country. And Ami had also been happy to have her cousin back. Without Michiru, it became impossible for her to hide her lack of interest in music. She still had weekly classes, but like Michiru, she didn’t want her future tied to an instrument. Of course she thought music was important and she read several books on that subject. But she didn´t want to dedicate her entire life to music, like her parents.

  
She wanted to be a doctor. And Ami never voiced that desire, because she feared her parents´ reactions. And she had no idea Michiru was having the very same ideas.  
********  
Even in the 21st century, Japan was a strongly male-dominated country. Among the traditional families, women were supposed to get married and have little independence even within the family. And the Kaiou weren´t different. The two cousins, who were supposed to be representing the next generation of musicians, wanted to give everything up and be whoever they wanted to be. For Ami, that was almost possible. But for Michiru were practically impossible.

  
When she confided with Ami about her desire to join the Takarazuka Revue, Ami not only supported but also revealed her thoughts about going to medical school. She also encouraged the aquamarine haired girl to speak to Saeko about it. After all, she knew the Revue and still had great friends there. Including one who was renting one of the studios in the adjacent building of the family school to teach dance and singing classes.

  
Mayuko.

  
So Michiru decided, she would go first to talk to the women she admired since she was 10 years old, who helped her make the decision to become a Takarasienne. After that, she would go to Saeko and then, her parents. She couldn´t delay this any longer.  
Before becoming a member of the Revue, she would need to train for two years in the Takarazuka Music School. The entrance exam would be in March and since Michiru would turn 15 just a few weeks before the test, she would be able to apply for one spot at the school. Each year, thousands from all over Japan audition, but only 40 to 50 were accepted. So they were trained in music, dance and acting.

  
2 days of tests, including Interview, singing, dancing, and medical examination. After that, Michiru would be a Takarasienne. That was a good plan indeed.  
*******  
Mayuko was in the small office located in the back, making some notes. Absently humming an old song. The studio was doing fine, especially with the entrance test coming, she was busier than ever. She looked up when Michiru knocked on her door.  
The woman smiled, recognizing that adolescent as the child she had met years earlier. Michiru was happy to see that Mayuko still remembered her.

  
"Mayuko-san, I would like to know if we can talk..." She began, in atypical shyness. She had always been articulated, argumentative. But she was nervous because she was in front of Mayuko, who she always admired.  
The woman still acted in the same polite way she remembered. Her long black hair was tied in a high ponytail. Michiru liked how delicate Mayuko was. The former actress was a small woman with a slender dancer's body. Dressed in a light pink jump suit with a lilac jacket, Mayuko got up and walked around the table, curious about what Michiru could want from her.

  
"It's so good to see you again." The woman started, taking the violinist's hands on hers. "You grew up into a fine young lady, you know that?"  
Michiru smiled, feeling her nerves calming down by Mayuko's small talk.

  
"So, sit, sit. What can I do to help you?"  
The teenager looked up to the older woman, who sat back in her comfy chair, behind her table. Mayuko worked with a lot of girls in Michiru's age and she had to learn how to deal with teenagers. Always patient, she waited for the girl to finds her words.  
"I'll be 15 in March. I want to know what I have to do, what I need to learn to become a Takarasienne."

*******  
Daiki was pacing around in his living room, with his wife and sister on the couch, trying to understand what just happened.  
Michiru called them for a meeting, as she called it and said she would be applying for Takarazuka Music School. She informed them about the entrance exam and she would 'retire' her violin so she could have more time to prepare herself for the exam.  
Mayuko offered to talk to her parents for her, she had done that for her students a few times, but Michiru felt like this was her task. She needed go do this alone, deal with her family, making them understand her feelings and fears.  
"So you don't want to be a musician. Like myself or your mother? Or like Saeko?" The man was having a hard time with the information his daughter, his pride and joy, just dropped on him. "You are a Kaiou! We are musicians! It’s in our blood. You know that!"  
Natsuki looked at Michiru. The poor girl was just listening to her father, not really knowing how to answer him. She was brave enough to talk to them about it, and in a way, Natsuki was proud of her. She felt bad, because it was obvious her daughter was going through this for a long time and she never noticed.

  
Saeko was clearly upset with her niece's choices. And with her bravery for standing up for herself, going against everything to do what she really wanted in her life. Maybe this was her fault? Michiru was the heir of the family conservatory. When her brother was away, it was her duty to raise her to take over the family business.  
Not rebel and go against everything they wanted for her.

  
"Father, I...”  
"No! You can't be selfish like this. We've been doing this for 200 years! Do you think you're the first Kaiou to have doubts? Do you?" His face was red, but his eyes were so sad. Who was this girl who he believed it was his daughter? That tiny baby who made him cry the first time she was on his arms? "This is unacceptable! You're not going to that school, do you hear me? I forbid you to even talk about this ever again. "

  
Michiru raised her eyes, he couldn't be serious! This was her life; she was tired of being tossed around like a stupid doll, just doing what everyone wanted her to do. This was it? She would need to choose between her family and her future?  
"Father, you don't understand. I need to do this."

  
Michiru knew if she said no, if she refused to take over the conservatory, her father's younger cousin, Kaiou Tooru, who lived in Sendai, would become responsible for the job. He was the only son of her great uncle, and just turned 30. A talented flautist, he was a soloist at Sendai Orchestra.

  
Daiki looked at the girl, he would do anything for her, his precious baby daughter. And he wasn't asking for much. He knew his cousin was a capable man, but this was his legacy as the first son.  
"You can't forbid me." Michiru was surprisingly calm now. Her father was acting like a spoiled child! "I finally found myself and you won't stop me from trying. I love my violin. I do. But I can't dedicate myself with my heart like this, so full of doubt. I can't be any good if I'm torn."

  
It was the first time any of the adults present in that room heard Michiru say anything like this before. She was the perfect daughter, student and violinist. Never went against any of their decisions, like the good girl she was.  
"Just let me try it."

  
Daiki sighed. He never said no to Michiru. "OK. You will apply and try for that school. You will have one shot and that's it. If you don't pass, you will go back to your violin, and will take care of our business. Deal?"  
The girl looked around, seeing all those hard faces looking back at her. She could do this.

  
"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> read and review, plz :)


	3. March

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna thank my impressive beta, Alex Monopoly Girl, without you, this would be probably another random idea that I would never write it down... Thanks for being a great friend and for helping me with this monster! Your ideas are incredible! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don´t own Sailor Moon. Just borrowed its characters for this journey.. Don´t own Takarazuka or any related stuff. I have so much respect for this company and its actresses/staff.

Chapter 3

The day started early for Haruka. At age of 15, she was finally able to apply for the Takarazuka Music School (TMS) entrance exam. After 5 years of dedicating herself, with this test on mind, she felt like she was ready.  
Even she being able to try again until she was 18, failing now wasn't an option. This wasn't a mock test. She wouldn't be traveling to Takarazuka for the first time in her life and not stay there.  
That was her dream. She would become a Takarasienne. And the first step of this long walk started today.  
Her daily schedule was not like the other girls her age. Since her decision of applying for TMS, she had her school classes until the middle of afternoon, then ballet classes three times a week, singing classes and acting lessons. Her weekends were full of watching plays and learning anything she could about the Revue.  
Her grandmother promised her she would help Haruka, so she found her a former Sienne who now owned a small studio, where she taught young ladies who wanted to go to TMS. Haruka spent most of her time on that studio. She knew a lot of girls tried every year and failed and she didn't want to be one of them. Her own family invested a lot of time and money on her dream. Rina wasn't that happy at first, she thought Haruka was too young to give herself to Takarazuka Revue.  
But nothing she said was able to change her daughter's mind. Before becoming a member of the Revue, Haruka would need to study for two years in the Takarazuka Music School, one of the most competitive of its kind in the world. Each year, thousands from all over Japan auditioned for a place at the school, and only 40 to 50 were accepted and trained in music, dance and acting. After training years, the girls would receive a seven-year contract, and would become Hankyu employees.  
They would be called ‘Seito’ or students, until their 'graduation' from the Revue, their retirement. The Music School has always been famous for its strict discipline. Even the Revue was known by the strict rules their actress lived by. And Rina didn’t want that for her little girl. But Haruka was stubborn. She never changed her mind. Once she set her mind on something, she would go for it. That was something Rina always admired on her daughter.  
But if she wanted grandkids, she would have to demand that from her sons. The Revue actresses were forbidden to get married until their graduation. If Haruka decided to be a 'Takarasienne', as the actresses were called, for the rest of her life, she would need to get used to being by herself.  
Hideo wasn't too happy with his daughter's choice. He wanted Haruka to finish school, find a job and get married to a good man. But like his father had said to him, before leaving Hakui to go study medicine, she needed to have her own dreams. If she wanted to become an actress, he would support her. Like he did with his sons. It was her life. She was the one living it. It was his role as a father to guide her. Not decide this for her.  
So, that day, Haruka barely slept. But she wasn't nervous. She waited for this day for so long, she couldn't even believe it was finally here. The day she would become a Takarasienne. She was so confident about her abilities; after all, she was studying for the past five years, not mention all those years she spent at ballet classes. She was more than ready.  
Since her father was working, Rina and Hiroaki would be taking her to Takarazuka. The town was a known 'bedroom community' for bigger cities, such as Osaka and Kobe, and there were quiet, upscale residential neighborhoods. And if wasn't for the Revue, Takarazuka would stay a quiet unknown community.  
That city would become Haruka's new residence; she was so sure of it, so close to fulfill her dream, that she could even taste it.  
The three of them decided take the first train to Osaka, spend the night there and the next day, travel to Takarazuka. It was a good plan, this way Haruka wouldn't be tired to do her exam. The test was already too hard.  
The girl got ready, dressing in comfortable clothes, perfect to travel. Even being March, she wore her winter cold gear and the scarf her grandmother made. She had packed the night before, deciding to travel light; she wouldn't be staying too long there.  
Haruka would spend two days doing extensive exams and interviews and she would know the result on the third day. Even against 3000 girls, she knew she would pass. She dedicated her life to the Revue, she wouldn't fail.  
She couldn't fail.  
Saying goodbye to her childhood bedroom, Haruka wasn't the 15 years old girl she was the night before.  
She was a 15 years old woman who just started writing her history…  
********  
Michiru spent her last day before her exam at her aunt's, since her parents were in Tokyo until the end of the month. She was used to their absence and being 15, she didn't really care anymore about being home alone. Michiru was an independent young lady; she could take care of herself.  
But before this huge challenge she was putting herself into, she felt like needing to be around her family. Not the absent parents she never could rely on. But her aunt and cousin Ami.  
Her family was still struggling with her decision to try out for Takarazuka Revue. Saeko knew how hard the Revue actresses could be. And she knew Michiru, sweet, talented, polite Michiru was willing to go through this madness. Being in direct contact with the Revue for many years, Saeko admired all the troupes. Maybe, in another life, she would become a Takarasienne too.  
But being born a Kaiou meant something. Music was their legacy. They had play for emperors and kings. Performing on stage, as an actor, wasn't expected.  
From the door, then older woman looked at her niece. Michiru was seated on her old bed, looking at the clear night sky. Her mind was so full; she was so worried about the exam she would take the next day that she felt like throwing up.  
A few months had passed since her talk to Mayuko, where she explained she wanted to become a Sienne, going against everything and everyone. It was the only time she saw her father so angry. But not at her, because she 'was a child and didn't know better’ but at her mother. Daiki blamed Natsuki for not being a good mother, not taking the responsibility to raise their daughter to be a proper Kaiou. With her progressive ideas, it was because of her that Michiru gave up a bright future following his footsteps to be an actress.  
And a Takarazuka actress! This would ruin everything. Even Takarazuka being known as a 'bride factory', if Michiru passed this test, she would spent at least the next 9 years of her life dedicating herself to something other than the violin. And he couldn't stand that idea.  
Michiru felt a little guilty for putting her father through so much stress, but she felt like this was the right thing to do. This was the first 'adult' decision about her own life she did and she was so proud of herself.  
Now she just needed to pass. She could take the test until her 18th birthday, but she knew this was her only chance. Her father would never let her do it again.  
"Can't sleep?"  
The girl looked up and gave her aunt a sad smile. She looked down, at her own hands and Saeko sat on the bed, still looking at her niece.  
"You need some rest. What you're about to do is really hard and you need all the sleep you can get," Saeko said. She was worried about Michiru. The girl always looked like she was carrying the world on her shoulders. She understood that. Growing up as a Kaiou was one of the hardest things she ever done in her life. Especially for a woman.  
She wasn't supportive when Michiru told her about her decision. Michiru and Ami were brilliant and talented girls, they had an incredible future ahead of them, taking over the Kaiou School, performing in front of thousands of people as soloist, for Michiru. Ami was too shy, she would be better inside the orchestra.  
Both girls were the future of the family and yet, they didn't seem to care about it. Michiru with this crazy idea about becoming an actress and Ami being interested in books, books and more books. Her own daughter didn't seem interested at all in their family legacy. And Saeko felt horrible for that. She was so sure it was her fault. She should know better.  
But she remembered how it was being 15 and have your own life planned for you. And she knew the Revue enough to know how irresistible that place was.  
"I can't sleep. When I think about the test, I feel like fainting..." The girl said, honest about her fears. What she was trying to pull was almost impossible.  
"I was the youngest musician in Takarazuka," Saeko interrupted. This amazing child wasn’t rebelling against some old family rule. She was just trying to think by herself and pursue her own path. She was brave enough to go against everything. And she deserved some support on her herculean task. "I know, it's not prestigious as playing in philharmonics or being a soloist, but I was 16. I wanted to make a name for myself. My father had this idea I should work at the school, like my mother, and find a good man to get married. That was his plan for me.“ The woman gave her niece a sad smile. "Women aren't supposed to stay unmarried. We're incapable to take care of ourselves without a man to protect and provide for us." Saeko looked away from Michiru; she had never said any of this out loud.  
"Takarazuka reminded me about the independence I wanted for myself. Every day, I looked at those women, working their asses off and they were always happy. Even with all the pressure for marriage, they lived their lives better than a lot of girls I knew back then."  
Michiru didn't understand why her aunt was telling her all this. Maybe this was one last try, to make her give up about this.  
"I know I wasn't supportive before. I let the anger I have inside blind me." Saeko hugged her niece. "I think you will be a great Sienne, love...."

*******  
Haruka arrived at Takarazuka station at 7am. Her test was scheduled for 9am and she wanted to be early. Her mother was right beside her. They had left Hiroaki at the hotel, sometimes he could be too funny for his own good and Haruka needed peace of mind.  
The station was full of well-dressed girls, some of them alone, some with both or one of their parents. Haruka took a deep breath, finally realizing how big the test was. All these girls had the same objective as hers.  
Become a Takarasienne.  
She knew Takarazuka Music School only offered a few spots every year, and she also knew a few thousand young women tried the exam. She looked around. A lot of these girls would go back to their homes sad for not making the cut.  
But that wouldn’t happen to her. She waited for this her whole life. She wanted this for her whole life. She was more than ready.  
"Do you want to walk? It's not far," Rina said. Her daughter was unusually quiet. In This whole trip, Haruka had barely said anything. Maybe she was focused on her goal; Rina couldn't put her finger on. Haruka was this happy, talkative girl. It felt wrong not listening to her voice.  
"Yeah, we can walk. I want to see the city. It's really pretty on TV." The girl had never set a foot in Takarazuka before. She just saw the small town on Sky stage and she already loved it. This small residential community seemed so calm and quiet. She could easily live there.  
A few minutes later, and Haruka stopped, dead on her feet. Her deep green eyes were immediately full of water and she felt like crying…  
The Takarazuka Grand Theater…  
The building was huge!  
The test would be held across the Takarazuka River, in a building next to the Music School. The whole town practically survived because the Revue was there. Even the lamp posts were decorated with info about the next plays at the grand theater.  
Haruka felt herself trembling. She wasn’t nervous but this whole atmosphere? This was too much for her. She stopped walking and took a few deep breaths to calm down. Rina looked at her daughter. At this tall, slightly awkward girl, with long blond hair and deep green eyes. Of her three children, Haruka was the only one who had Hideo's eyes. Rina was proud of the woman she raised. Her daughter was focused and talented.  
She was special…  
"Are you okay? Do you want some water?" The woman said, offering her a bottle of water.  
"Thanks, mom." Haruka took a few sips before giving the bottle back. "I just need a few seconds. Being here, it’s just too much..." She inspired and expired again "Thanks for being here with me, mom. I don't think I can do this alone..."  
Rina smiled. Haruka was taller than her by a few centimeters now, but she was a child at heart. Her oldest son was already in college, studying to be a doctor. Her second would start attending college too in a couple of months. She felt like an old lady every time she looked at her boys. But Haruka? She was a breath of youth.  
"Do your best sweetie. I'm already proud of you, you know that, right?" Rina said, her hand resting on her daughter's shoulder.  
Haruka knew her mother didn't want her to become a Sienne. Rina wanted her to go to college and live an amazing love story like she did, but Haruka was truly her father's daughter. She was a true Tenou, so detailed driven, objective and so focused. Just like her father and grandfather. But grandpa Hideyuki always said: "our kids must live their dreams, not ours." Such a wise man.  
She didn't know her future. She just knew she would be a Sienne. And today, being emotional just at the sight of the Grand Theater, it was her first step in that journey.  
"Let's go mom, I don't wanna be late."  
*****  
Living in Osaka gave Michiru some advantage over some girls. She didn't have to travel all over the country, and perform in front of their future teachers and colleagues tired.  
Osaka was just 30 minutes away from Takarazuka, and the girl was so familiar with this way, from her aunt's place to the grand theater, she could do this with her eyes closed.  
She looked around the station, looking at all those girls. She knew some of them were way better than her. After all, Michiru was a musician, not a dancer or a singer. She lost how many times she practiced classic ballet moves until her toes started to bleed. She sang all the time, to get used to her own voice, to get comfortable knowing how high she could go.  
Her strength was her acting skills. For someone so young, she was a good actress. It was weird not being all confident before a presentation. Michiru was always so sure of her own skills, at least with her violin. She could play so easily. Learn any melody just by hearing it.  
Maybe this was a mistake. She was a talented violinist, not a musical theater actress. She wasn’t build or prepared for this.  
It wasn’t too late. She could take the train back to Osaka, then call her parents and... And say what? She was a quitter? That she gave up the only thing that gave her some focus and purpose?  
If Daiki wasn’t angry with her already, he would be now. Kaious weren't quitters. They could lose, but giving up wasn't on their vocabulary.  
With a new found confidence, Michiru headed for the music school building. She didn't even see the other girls. She could do this. She would become a Sienne.  
*****  
The test started at 9 am. The girls were separated by alphabetical order, thirty to a room, and, while they waited, some of them quickly started talking quietly about Takarazuka, their favorite plays and stars.  
Usually, the first part of the entrance exam was applied in two locations. In Takarazuka itself and in Tokyo, in one of the official Takarazuka Prep School. Of course, most of the applicants wanted to take the test at Takarazuka, so they could at least see the Grand Theater, even if they failed.  
Haruka stood in the back, holding in one hand a folder with music sheets and a bag with her dance leotard on the other. She didn't even listen to what the other girls talked. Her hands shook slightly and she let out a nervous smile.  
For the singing portion of the exam, they would need to give to the musical accompanist a music sheet so he could look at it and be able to play. The sheet needed to be handwritten, so Haruka spent a few hours writing and rewriting it. The song, an old tune from Takarazuka itself, was adjusted to the pitch of her voice. She practiced this song so many times; the words had even lost their meaning by now.  
On the other side of the room, Michiru was looking around, paying attention to the other exam-takers as they gathered around, talking to each other. The young violinist looked at them like they were stars already. Beautiful, elegant and mature, they seemed to know everything about the Revue's inner working and all the actresses. And of course, about taking the test as many times as necessary.  
Michiru felt like an outsider. And she only felt like this in the period she lived in America. She felt like she didn't belong there. In that room with 14 other girls, Michiru felt like she could disappear and no one would even notice. She felt like a spoiled teen, who never had to fight for anything and now felt like the whole world was collapsing. She felt unprepared and stupid.  
All the talk stopped when a short man, wearing a cheap light suit, glasses and thinning hair, entered the room. He had a clipboard in hand and his face had a serious expression.  
"Good morning ladies. I am Sariwa Kouta and I am a vocal instructor here at school. I'll call your name and you'll follow me to the next room, where you will do your presentation,” he started to talk, checking his clipboard. "Each one of you will have 10 minutes to sing a song of your choice. Then you will come back here and wait to be called again." It was the same thing every year; he knew those words by heart. "You will change clothes and present a ballet piece, also of your choice. Remember that you are being evaluated since you arrived here."  
Sariwa looked up, seeing the girls looking back at him. He knew probably none of these girls would pass. And he knew they knew that too.  
"Let's begin then. Kaiou, Michiru?"  
Michiru couldn't believe she was the first to be called. This was her worst nightmare! All the girls were looking at her, like she was a death roll inmate who started their final walk. This wasn't fair. But when life was fair? She couldn't complain every time.  
She took a deep breath and followed the teacher. She could do this.  
Haruka looked at the girl who was first called and felt sorry for her. Luckily, being a Tenou, she would be one of the last. Not that she cared about it. She was ready. But she knew that girl was scared. Of all the other exam-takers, that green haired teen was the one only confident enough to be scared in front of everyone.  
And Haruka admired her for that.  
*****  
Michiru felt her mind going all blank when she got into the other room. It was a dance room, with a mirror covered wall, a pianist and a group of 5 people who were quietly discussing something sue couldn't hear. Sariwa took his place at the table and told Michiru she could start.  
Taking a deep breath, she handed her music sheet to the pianist and waited for her cue. The song she chose wasn’t easy; it was one of her teacher's old songs, from back to her days as Sienne. Mayuko didn’t approve her choice because she knew Michiru's vocal range. But the violinist didn't want to play safe.  
Go big or go home.  
******  
One by one, Haruka saw the other girls going to do their singing screening. They left the room so confident, so sure of their skills. But when they came back, the story was different. Some of them were sad, because they missed a note, or felt like their voices weren't high enough or low enough.  
All of them but Michiru. The green haired girl was calmer now; she was even with this tiny smile on her face. Haruka felt the need to go talk to her about the test. But she was called to do her screening.  
Singing was something that Haru started doing after her decision to become a Sienne. She always listened to music, she was always dancing, but singing wasn’t something she did in a regular basis. It was part of her training, after school.  
The girl knew she had a good voice, and singing was really fun. With that thought in her heart, about having fun, she started singing. The song was fast paced and as a dancer, it was really hard for her to not move her body with the melody.  
The pianist was a woman in her 40s and she smiled at Haruka, maybe because she knew the song. Just an old, Takarazuka tune she found in her grandma's collection. She wrote the music sheet by ear, taking advantage of her piano skills. A happy song, which Haruka hoped to express all her feelings about being there, about being a Sienne.  
She smiled at the end, feeling all the looks on her. She was used to that, this wasn’t her first audition.  
"Thank you, Tenou-san. Now go back to the room and send Urawa Kiyoko, please?"  
*****  
The fifteen girls in the room had already changed to their leotards and they were waiting for someone to come and get them for the ballet screening. The first day of the entrance test was just this, singing and dancing. This way the Takarazuka teachers were able to see who would be able to proceed to the next day of tests, and who wasn’t fit to be a Sienne.  
Sariwa came back a few minutes later, looking at the teenagers. He worked in Takarazuka as a vocal instructor for almost 20 years now, and he was very proud of the work he did there. Being known as a strict teacher, he was specialist in lowering women's tone to be as manly as possible.  
This was his fifth year working on the entrance exam. And so far, he wasn’t too impressed with what he saw. Maybe one or two girls would make the cut, in his opinion.  
"Alright ladies, this is your second and last screening. You will present your ballet piece, then come back here to change. After that, you are all free to go," He explained, making some notes on his clipboard.  
"The teacher in charge for your room, in this case me, will call your legal guardians to let them know if you are able to join us tomorrow." A brief dramatic pause to check the applicants' faces. "Kaiou Michiru, please follow me".

******  
Back at the hotel, Haruka was relieved. After a day of waiting, singing and dancing, she felt like herself again. Her mother was taking a shower and her brother was watching TV, after spending the day in Osaka having fun at the theme parks there.  
Unlike their elder brother, Hiroaki was a fun loving guy. He would start attending college next April, pursuing a degree in journalism or something like it. He had changed his mind so many times and just now, at 19 he seemed to be sure about his future.  
He looked up and saw his baby sister. Haruka and Hideyuki were so alike, they already knew what they wanted to do, and he was still trying to find himself.  
"Do you wanna talk about your audition?" He asked, putting the TV on mute.  
Haruka just looked at him, too tired to remind him it wasn't an audition. It was an entrance exam, just like every other exam. But she also knew Hiroaki was a guy with a twisted sense of humor. And she didn't have the heart to deal with him now. She loved her brother, but Hiroaki could be a pain every now and then.  
"I really don't wanna talk about it, Hiro-nichan. I just wanna take a quick shower and go to bed."  
Hiroaki jumped off the bed and hugged his sister.  
"You're gonna to be okay, girl. I'm sure you will pass this."  
He wanted to show more support. But he didn't know how. After offering taking his mother and sister to Osaka, he felt like left aside, discarded like an old sock.  
"How about tomorrow I'll take you to Takarazuka? And we make a day of it?" Hiroaki never understood how Haruka could like those plays so much to even think about getting into this mess. But he was all about being supportive. This was her dream? So he was 10000% on board. "I know you will be tired, but if you keep thinking about it, you'll drive yourself crazy"  
Haruka smiled. Her family was pretty supportive of her dream, even not really understanding how someone just loved a Revue company so much. But she did. Takarazuka was her dream. Her life since ever. She had books, magazines, DVDs, a real fan girl.  
And now she had a shot trying out to be on stage, like her idols. Her dream was becoming truth.  
"Haru? Go take your shower now..." her mother said, leaving the bathroom. She saw the two siblings next to each other, in a gentle embrace. Her two boys were pretty good friends, but they left Haruka out of their inner circle. So Rina was always happy when she saw her children like this.  
Haruka got up and got her things for her shower. "Mom, if they call..."  
"I know what to do, just go and enjoy your shower, don’t worry." Her daughter was too stressed for someone so young. Rina made a silent wish, to get the call as soon as possible. Because she knew Haruka wouldn’t even breathe not knowing if she passed or not.  
Hiroaki turned his attention back to the TV and Rina was getting ready for getting out and have dinner with her children. It was her way of saying thanks for being there with them.  
When her phone rang.  
The woman looked at Hiroaki and she almost wished for the call being from her husband or Hideyuki... But since they knew her phone wasn’t available and to call Hiroaki's if anything happened, this could just mean one thing: the results were in  
"Good evening, this is Sariwa Kouta, from Takarazuka and I want to speak to Tenou Haruka's legal guardian about her first screening today."  
Rina wasn’t the one who took the test, but she was nervous.  
"Yes, this is Tenou Rina, I am Haruka's mother," the woman said, trying her best to stay calm.  
"Tenou-san, we want to inform you that we will be waiting for Haruka at the Music School tomorrow at 9 am, for her second screening."  
Rina never doubted her daughter's abilities. But knowing that only 4% of the applicants were approved made her fear for her baby girl. Haruka was such a happy kid; she didn't deserve having a heartbreak like this. The woman thanked Sariwa and hang up. With a watering smile on her face, she looked at Hiroaki.  
"She did it, Hiro. They want her to go back and do the second screening... My baby girl did it!"  
******  
Michiru was back at her aunt's place. She just got out the phone with her mother, Natsuki wanted to know how her screening went.  
And Michiru was happy to know that Natsuki seemed to care about her entrance exam. The girl didn't know how to reach to her always so busy parents. She felt like their communications skills needed some work on, and she knew they knew that too. So she was happy when her mother called.  
Natsuki was a woman focused on her career. Losing her father so young made her life a little too complicated. Her own mother was never around, always working to support them. To be honest, she didn't want to get married, but her heart made that decision for her and now she had a beautiful family. But it wasn’t a secret, her violin was always in first place.  
Natsuki loved her husband and her daughter to death, but she would do everything in her power for Michiru to become an independent woman. Even wanting her daughter to follow her footsteps and becoming a violinist. But Natsuki was happy she raised a strong woman, able to do her own choices.  
"They will call Aunt Saeko to let her know if I passed..." Michiru said to her mother. She wanted both of her parents with her in this moment, but she knew, she understood their busy lives.  
"Please, call me as soon as you find out. Your father and I will stay here for a few more days, so I'll see you then."  
After hanging up, Michiru laid down in her bed. Looking at the ceiling, she was thinking about her day. The test.  
The girls...  
Michiru closed her eyes, thinking about how beautiful the girls who took the test with her. She didn't have any contact with boys in her daily life, but she never really care about them.  
Actually, Michiru thought about her own feelings every now and then. She first thought she was too busy to even think about boys, but after going to live in the US, she realized that maybe that wasn’t true.  
It was the only thing she never talked about it with anyone, not even Ami. She was still trying to figure out and if her life wasn’t complex enough, if she was really gay, this could get ugly pretty fast.  
Michiru sighed. Thinking about those pretty girls from the test wasn’t going to help her. She felt like a pervert, lusting over teenager girls. But was she lusting? Because she read about it a lot and she was still confused.  
The violinist closed her eyes and remembered a tall, blond girl who seemed way too focused of the test to do anything. Unlike the other applicants who were babbling all the time about the Revue and their favorite actresses, the blonde girl never said a word, she didn't even realized Michiru looking at her. That was the image of someone who would easily pass the exam.  
Not someone like her, who practically just decided to try out. She didn't have a chance...  
"Michi-onesan?" A shy voice called her. Michiru looked up, to see her cousin Ami at the door. She loved the shy, intelligent girl like the sister she never had. Even being so young, Ami was probably the only one who understood Michiru. Like her older cousin, she didn't want to be a musician. She could play the cello like her mother Saeko, but Ami wanted to be a doctor.  
"Mother wants you to come down for dinner. She said she did something light for you, because you have the test tomorrow..."  
"Tomorrow? You mean?"  
"Oh, mother got a call from this teacher from Takarazuka. It seems that you passed the first audition..."  
Michiru’s face lit up with a huge smile. She was so certain she didn't pass, but she totally did! She was one step closer to be a Sienne!  
"Saeko-bacchan! Why you didn't tell me the teacher called?" The green haired girl asked, after running downstairs to the kitchen downstairs.  
"Oh hon, did you have any doubt they wouldn't choose you? Now go wash your hands, dinner is ready "  
******  
With her brother by her side, Haruka headed for Takarazuka. This time it felt like a school excursion, she went along with a few faces she recognized from the first round. Including that green haired girl. This time the girl was carrying what seemed to be a violin case and Haruka got interested. She never met anyone who played violin before.  
"She's pretty, don't you think?" She heard her brother say.  
"What? Who?"  
"That girl you're looking at. The one with the violin."  
"I don't really know." Haruka closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. "I'm 15, Hiro-nichan. I don't really care about this kind of stuff..."  
"Of course, ‘cause you only care about your precious Revue. Do you think I have a shot? ‘Cause I'm single and I like pretty artistic girls."  
Haruka looked at her brother, surprised about what he was saying. Why he was saying all those things? Didn't he know she had a huge exam coming up?  
"You're too tense, Haru. I know this audition is important, but you need to relax, otherwise, you'll hurt yourself."  
Maybe he was right. Maybe she was way too worried about this. But everyone knew the second day of tests were harder. Girls from all the country, who passed their first screening, were heading to Takarazuka. Haruka didn't want to be over confident, because she had a good plan, coming over to Osaka and spend the week there. She was well rested, and she knew some of the applicants were fresh out of long train rides.  
For the second and final day of tests, the applicants would do another ballet piece and they would sing a song. They would do a physical exam and an interview. And like the day before, Haruka wasn’t nervous. She was more anxious. Specially because the green haired girl from the train ride was the only she recognized from the girls who were on the same room as her.  
Hiroaki kissed her forehead before handing her bag to Haruka. In silence, she walked to the auditorium, seeing the man who was responsible for her yesterday with a few other grownups. They were quietly talking, writing down in their clipboards and checking each other’s notes. This year they had some good candidates. As they looked at all the faces, so hopeful and almost terrified, they knew: this year would be a good one.  
******  
Like the day before, the aspirants were divided in groups, this time a smaller one, just fifteen per room. Haruka looked around and the playful conversation of yesterday ceased to exist, giving place to a sober silence. She didn't mind the talking, but everyone was so focused, like they're doing their dance routines in their heads, or trying to guess what questions they would have to answer in the interview.  
"Good morning, ladies." Sariwa, the same teacher as before stood at the door. He walked in the room, handling music sheets to the girls. "Today you will do a ballet piece and you will sing this song. After that, you will display any kind of special skill you might have. “ He was so serious today. After all, final day of exams. "When I call your name, you need to be ready, with your dance clothes on."  
Haruka felt like her toes were sleeping. Even being one of the last, she felt her insides burning. Sariwa kept going.  
"You will leave the exam room after your presentation, to do your physical exam. Then you will change again to do your interview. Understood?"  
Sariwa left the room to give the girls privacy to change. The silence was so heavy, but after hearing the tasks she would need to perform, Haruka felt a lot calmer.  
She changed to her black leotard, the same she used to wear during her ballet lessons, with her name embroidered on the chest. It was a gift from her grandma on her 15th birthday, and Haruka swore she would wear it during her exam. It was like her grandma, her greater supporter was there with her.  
And she felt a lot better.  
*****  
Michiru stood in front of the teachers in the same dance room from the first screening. She was dressed with her lilac leotard; her hair is a tall ponytail. Her violin case was on the floor, next to her. Mayuko told her they usually ask for a special dance skill, like tap, or jazz. Michiru was great at Japanese traditional dance, but if she could show them her violin skills, maybe she would have a shot.  
Sariwa was seated in the middle of the table. He looked up from his clipboard, right go the girl. "Kaiou Michiru, Araki-san will show you the dance we want you to reproduce. She will do the routine three times, so please, play attention."  
Michiru looked at this tall, slender girl in her late teens, with short dark green hair and garnet eyes. She was casually dressed with a black leotard, a long dark blue skirt, white leggings and ballet flat shoes. That was a Sienne, Michiru was sure. The woman walked with elegance, and her presence was so dominant, and yet caring. She smiled at the girl.  
"Hello. I'm Araki Sei and I'll help you with your piece today," She said, in a low, powerful voice. Michiru was surprised. From what she knew about the test, they usually casted senior students to do this part. Not full actresses. She would ask Mayuko about this later.  
At Sariwa's sign, the pianist started to play and Sei started her routine. Every step she did was full of grace and absolutely precise. The routine didn’t seem too hard, a few arabesques, plies and splits. Michiru knew this was the way the examiners could see if she was able to learn choreograph fast.  
And she could. After watching Sei doing her routine three times, Michiru did what they asked of her, with two minor mistakes. Nothing bad for someone who had a long way for being able to be called dancer.  
After nailing the final position, Michiru bowed to the examiners, waiting for more instructions. They did some notes and talked in low voices. Sariwa looked at the girl, always too serious.  
"You put in your application you know Japanese dance. Please demonstrate for us," He said.  
No music started to play. And Michiru didn't need any. She was practicing this kind of dance since she was five years old. The girl couldn't help but remember when Ami started to practice with her, so cute in her clumsy ways.  
She felt like crying. Because in that moment, she knew she was quite disillusioned of her wish of entering Takarazuka. She wasn't a dancer. Or a singer. She was a violinist with good acting skills. Michiru felt in her heart she would never dance like Araki Sei. Even being so young, that woman had an unique style. She would stay in school, maybe even going to college, and would work at the family school as a teacher...  
At least she tried...  
"Thank you, Kaiou-san. Now, do you have the sheet I gave you earlier? Good, now sing us a song..."  
*******  
Haruka was seated in front of her examiners, feeling tired and a little sore. She did her ballet and singing pieces, presenting her special skill, as a jazz and tap dancer, and she was done with the physical exam. She was an athlete, who ran every day and was the star of the school's track team, she took good care of her body. So everything was fine with her.  
Now they would ask her some questions, to attest if she was indeed Takarazuka material. It was just her and 6 examiners. And for a second, she felt nervous, not even knowing what they would ask. Sariwa started, since he was the head of the table.  
"Tenou-san, I will start your interview asking you a simple question..."  
Haruka could do this. She would nail this interview and by this time tomorrow, she would be a Sienne.  
She could feel it her bones.  
******  
Michiru was relieved after being released from the test. She did her best and now she was tired, hungry and sleepy, even being really early. If anyone asked her now which part was the best, she would say the interview. Just 10 simple questions about her skills and her thoughts about making a career of it. She was finally able to play her violin, performing one of her own songs.  
She couldn’t ask for more. So she would take the train, go back to her aunt's house and sleep until the next day, when she would know if she passed or not.  
But Michiru was in peace. She was already resigned. It was a fun experience, but she was glad it was over. She gave it a shot, so she was feeling proud of herself for being so brave and going against everything. Maybe her actions would help Ami when she decided go tell her family about going into Medicine. If Michiru could help her beloved cousin with this, she would already feel like a winner.  
With that in mind, she took her train back to Osaka.  
******  
Hiroaki found his sister at the Grand Theater. She was in a place called Petit Museum, on the second floor, with features costumes, posters, photographs and other paraphernalia from various performances. She was looking around, mesmerized by how pretty everything was. And seeing all those costumes so close gave her the feeling that the Revue was true. When she saw it on TV, it felt like a dream, but being there, made her realize this wasn’t a dream, but a beautiful reality.  
"There you are, I thought you went back to Osaka without me," Hiroaki started, trying to not startle Haruka. The girl didn't even look at him. "This place is freaking huge! I found a restaurant, so do you wanna eat something? We spent most of our day here, I'm sure you're starving... "  
"Besides Grandma, no one understands how much I want to be here. People think I'm delusional, that it's too hard and I should forget it," Haruka started, watching a mannequin dressed in a beautiful XVIII century dress. "But seeing the Takarazuka stage, it's like being struck by a lightning bolt. That's how I feel every time I see a play. And that's why I want to be on that stage." The girl stood tall in front of her brother, a shy smile on her face. "This is my world, oni-chan. This is where I know I'll be happy."  
Hiroaki hugged Haruka. He was jealous of his sister, because she had her life all figured out. And he left her out of his life. He barely knew her, being four years older made him and their elder bother closer, but he thought Hideyuki was an idiot.  
Now this girl, this amazing girl who had a dream and would do anything to achieve it, he wanted to know her better.  
"That's really something else, Haru. And I'm sure you will be awesome in that stage. And I will be in the front row to see your debut."  
******  
Haruka was waiting for the results in front on the Music School with the other applicants. She asked to be alone to do this, but her mother and brother were waiting in a cafe inside the Grand Theater, with some other families.  
It was a cold March morning. She decided to not wear her winter coat, because, being from Nagano, the cold didn't really bother her. So she decided to go with a light blue jacket, white shirt and jeans. Since she couldn't risk any injury, she decided to go with sneakers.  
She looked around, seeing the other applicants talking, some of them were even laughing. She saw the green haired girl from her exam and smiled. She was so serious, but she didn't have her violin with her.  
And again, Haruka felt this need to go talk to her. But when she went for it, Sariwa appeared. He was followed by a couple of other teachers, each one of them carrying boards. Haruka took a deep breath, and waited for the results.  
"If your name is on the board, go to the auditorium," He started. Being the head of the examiner board wasn’t something he wanted to do next year. He liked being on the board, but taking care of the whole exam was too stressful. "Please, you can come and look now." He said, staying out of the way with the other teachers.  
Haruka first looked at the reactions of the girls. Most of them were so sad, even angry, but a few of them were so happy. They took pictures by their names, smiling. It was time, she couldn't delay any longer.  
A few steps…And there it was. One of the last names on the board. In a neat calligraphy, she read 'Tenou Haruka'. She did it! She totally did it! This was the first step to become a Sienne and she totally did it!  
She started to laugh, feeling ridiculously happy. All the years of training, so much pain and stress finally paid off. She was in! Next April, she would start her education at the Music School!  
"I'm sorry, can you take a pic of me?" She asked to the green haired girl, who was looking at the board in a sober almost contained way. The girl took the phone Haruka handed her and quickly took the picture, giving the phone back. Haruka looked at the picture, seeing her own bright smile next to her name. "I'm sending this to my grandma. She won't believe I got in!" She said, still not believing it. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you get in?"  
Michiru felt her eyes watering. It was so impolite to cry in public, if her father saw her like this, he would scold her for sure.  
"Yes…" she said, her voice almost gone. She did it. She passed one of the most difficult entrance exams in the country. She was accepted. She would fulfill her dream. "Do you see that?" She pointed at her own name, reading the kanji so carefully just to be sure. "That's me!"  
Haruka gave a huge smile. At least a known face would attend the school with her. Now it totally made sense why she felt the need to be around this girl, to talk to her.  
She read the kanji.  
"Michiru? That's a pretty name. I'm Haruka, nice to meet you," Haruka said, still smiling. It was impossible to stop now.  
"It seems we're going to be classmates..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> read and review, plz


	4. April

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna thank my impressive beta, Alex Monopoly Girl, without you, this would be probably another random idea that I would never write it down... Thanks for being a great friend and for helping me with this monster! Your ideas are incredible! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don´t own Sailor Moon. Just borrowed its characters for this journey.. Don´t own Takarazuka or any related stuff. I have so much respect for this company and its actresses/staff.

Chapter 4

"Dear Grandma, how are you?  
I'm writing you this letter ‘cause I know you don't like emails. And phone calls are a luxury I can't afford. Specially ‘cause I have so much to tell you.  
It's been one month since I started school and to be honest, I couldn't be happier. Classes are hard and the cleaning regime is hard. But it's so amazing to be among all these talented girls and I'm learning so much...  
I'm living in the Sumire Hall, the school dorm. The room is tiny and I have a roommate. Her name is Hanagawa Sachiko and she seems nice. We don't talk much cause we're always studying. I know this seems harsh, but I really don't care. Our dorms are close to the school, in a small building across the Takarazuka river. The first years occupy the second floor and the second years are in the third. The cafeteria food isn't so bad; I think it’s pretty much the same as the one back in my old school. We always eating in silence. I think it’s to preserve our voices, ‘cause it's pretty rare to even hear anything outside classes.  
When I first got here, a couple of days before my entrance ceremony, I was so amazed by everything. I can't explain, grandma. It's like a dream I'm having. When I first tried my grey uniform, and tied my red bowtie, I felt like crying. The school provided me everything, winter and summer uniforms, gym clothes, food and shelter. I know this is not cheap, and I hope to enjoy my time here, being the best student ever.  
The entrance ceremony was very similar to the one I had on junior high. All the first years were sent to the auditorium on the first floor of the school building. The principal made a speech, congratulating us for 'starting this amazing journey'. The representative of our class, a small girl who I think it's older than me, said a few words too, but I don't really can remember what they said that day. I was in line, with other 40 girls, all dressed in grey and I couldn't stop smiling. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. I had butterflies in my stomach and I never thought I would be this nervous.  
The only thing I can't forget about that ceremony was when the senior class, the honkasei, entered the auditorium.  
I heard someone said out loud: 'the honkasei are here!' And I turned to see them. Those girls were a year above us and they looked so beautiful. I really mean this. They already have their 'Sienne glamour', I swear!  
They came marching in in crisp military formation without break. The small girls in the front and the tall ones in the back of their formation. The tall ones already had their hair cut in an otokoyaku fashion, ‘cause they had their stage gender assignment after their first year exams. Just like I'll have next February. I'm not worried if I'll be an otokoyaku or not. My height made me on of the tallest girls on my class, I'm pretty confident I'll be one.  
We sang a song after all the speeches, and that was it. I was officially a student at TMS.  
Grandma, I won't lie to you. This school is really hard. We have rules for everything. The way we wear our uniforms, our hair style, how we walk while in school. Even how we speak. It's tradition and unchangeable. And from what I heard, the girls who live around here and commute, they have rules too for how they ride the train. First I thought this was insane, but now I get it. We have to maintain a 'mystery aura'.  
Seems silly, but it's true.  
I'm finally getting used to my classes. Again, my routine here seems a lot like my old school, with lessons from Monday to Saturday. And my Saturday is a half-day. The only difference is the contents. I have ballet and Japanese dance everyday. Also pilates, drama, piano, modern dance and vocal training. I'm learning how to play shamisen too.  
I'm so glad I can play the piano here. And since my vocal skills still need some improvement, I signed up for extra vocal lessons. I know my voice isn't my strong suit, but I can't be a star with just my dance skills.  
I wish I could apply for more extracurricular lessons, but since I'm a freshman, I have to wake up early to clean the school with the other girls. It's hard work, and I'm still figuring out how the hierarchy here works, to deal with the seniors, but other than that, I love it here.  
On Sundays we usually go to the Grand Theater. And grandma, that place is so beautiful and so big! We're not allowed on stage, but we can watch rehearsals. The actress who did a presentation on my entrance exam, Araki Sei, is going to star a play next summer and I already made plans to watch her.  
I made a few friends too, there's this girl whose aunt used to be a musician at the orchestra and she knows a lot about the Revue. We met in our entrance exam and she's really sweet. She's at the same extracurricular voice lesson as me. Actually, she's in a lot of extra classes. I guess she wants to be a huge star like me.  
Of course I miss home, I never spent so many days without seeing mom and dad, or my brothers, but I guess this is what growing up means. When I left the house, I promised myself I wouldn't go back, unless for vacations and holidays.  
This is my life now. And I'm trying my best here.  
Love you a lot.  
Your granddaughter,  
Haruka."  
*******  
Takarazuka Music School was established in 1919, with the intention of teaching their students everything from singing to dancing. The school was famous for its strict discipline and its tradition of having first-years clean the premises until it is spotless every morning.  
The student body was small, with only 74 girls, divided in first and senior year. The school term began in April and, until next March, all the students would dedicate themselves, through their own limits to finish school and finally start their careers at the Revue.  
Most of them would spent the first 7 years as background dancers or playing small roles. Only a few would stand out enough to get bigger roles and just a couple would become what they called 'Top Star'.  
Established in 1980, after the huge success of the Rose of Versailles adaptation, the Top Star system was used to guarantee that promising and talented actresses would climb higher the company's hierarchy. Officially, only otokoyakus could become Top Stars.  
Being a Top Star meant staring in every Grand Theater perfomance of her Troupe until her retirement, or 'graduation'. Musumeyakus who paired up with them were called 'Top musumeyaku' and they also would recieve every lead female role until they retire.  
It was Haruka's dream to become a top star someday. She didn't care which Troupe she would be, she just wanted to show what she could do. To prove her love and dedication for the Revue. That's why she never complained when she had to wake up early to clean the school, among with the other girls in her class. She had an objective and she would do anything to achieve it.  
The first month of school was pretty uneventful. The freshmen class quickly understood their role in the school and easily got into a quiet routine.  
The classes were too physically demanding, with hours of dancing and singing. Haruka decided to spend her evenings resting and studying lines for her acting class. She was a ballerina before, so she knew how important was to rest her muscles and bones. She couldn't risk getting injured. Getting hurt now could ruin her whole future.  
So every night, after dinner and a bath, she would go back to her room and take care of her sore body.  
Discipline was really important for a future Sienne. And if Haruka wanted to be the best, she couldn't goof around and lose focus.  
*****  
"What are you doing?"  
Haruka looked up and saw her roommate watching her form the door. She looked at the clock over the bedside table; it was almost time for their curfew.  
"Just some post ballet lessons exercises," the blonde girl answered, feeling a little annoyed by the other student. Her roommate, a mousy girl named Kanagawa Sachiko didn't seem too interested in their classes. She was a tiny girl, older than Haruka by 2 years. With pale pink hair and delicate features, she looked like a porcelain doll.  
Haruka knew friendships were important. She was a popular girl back in her junior school and making friends wasn't something hard for her. But something about Sachiko didn't click. She always looked bored or not interested in class. To be honest, Haruka imagined her roommate someone who shared her passion about the Revue, so they would talk for hours about their favorite shows or stars. Maybe even practice lines for drama class.  
But Sachiko wasn't this kind of girl. At least, so far, she didn’t say anything. And that frustrated Haruka. She knew her classmates would be her sisters from now on. Their bond was eternal.  
She saw how the other girls acted with their own roommates. And she couldn’t help but to feel a little jealous.  
"Why? We already have a lot to do at school, you wanna come home and do more work?" Sachiko said, sitting on her bed. She untied her red bowtie and sighed. Haruka was definitely a lost cause. "The hard part is over, Tenou. We made it. Now we just need to enjoy."  
Haruka looked around and saw her own uniform hang at the door.  
"Passing then entrance test wasn't the hard part. I think it was the easier one..."  
"HA! nonsense!" Sachiko laughed and Haruka started to get angry at the girl. Her patience was running very thin. She dedicated herself to her dream, to the Revue and this was what she got? A mocking roommate who was supposed to be her sister?  
"I have two older sisters who are Siennes, Tenou. I know what I'm talking about. After you sign your contract, you don't have to worry about anything. Then you find a rich husband and you're done."  
Great. How befriend someone who thought so little about something Haruka loved so dearly?  
"I'm going to bed. Good night, Kanagawa."  
Easy. Haruka could just ignore her.  
*******  
Michiru was silently riding the train, going to school. She felt so tired, like every bone in her body was hurting. Her days started at 6 am, she had a light and nutritious breakfast, made by herself, she couldn't rely on her busy parents to do that for her. And Daiki was still a little angry at her, so she tried her best to not be at home when he woke up.  
It took her almost one hour to go to school. Since Michiru was a commuter, she had some rules to follow, like always riding the last train. Coming from a traditionalist family helped her dealing with rules. At least one good thing.  
The girl was always reading something, mostly her assignments for classes. Michiru was facing some difficulties in her dancing lessons, and her extra classes weren't helping. Her moves became stiff and ungraceful. And she was always tired.  
If she felt like this right in her first month at school, how she would be able to be there for two years?  
Sighining, the aquamarine haired girl felt like she had made a mistake. She would fail TMS miserably and her father would never forgive her. And that was so upsetting! Knowing that the man she admired most couldn't care less about her life, her future and he was probably rooting for her failure.  
When she became such a pessimist?  
"Good morning, Kaiou-san!" She heard someone say and couldn't help but smile. She knew that voice. It belonged to her favorite classmate, Tenou Haruka.  
Haruka was the complete opposite of Michiru. She was always smiling and befriending everyone. Easy to talk, madly talented, Michiru could watch her dancing for hours; it was so beautiful to see her body moving.  
And since they did their entrance exam together, it was like their shared a special bond. Haruka was the only one who Michiru felt like she could talk to.  
"Good morning, Tenou-san... “She was too tired to even pretend to feel excited. How come Haruka was so bouncy this early? They would face a whole hour cleaning up all the school before their classes start.  
"Why the long face? Did someone say anything to you?"  
"Like what? And who?" Michiru knew some honkasei could be restless about the freshmen. Mayuko never told her anything, but Saeko said she should be careful about their seniors. They could be awful bullies.  
"I don't know. The honkasei can be just waiting for us to be confortable so they can kill us in our sleep."  
Michiru looked at her classmate, her bright smile was so contagious.  
"You're mocking me."  
"I am."  
"That's evil," Michiru said, taking her indoor shoes from her locker. It felt weird being around Haruka. She had this aura of protection, like nothing ever could hurt her. Michiru felt safe next to her. Her problems were inexistent next to that bright smile.  
"Maybe I like being evil…" Haruka whispered.  
Inside the school building their voices disappeared. It was required of the freshmen class to clean the premises, in silence. This way they wouldn't spend any energy or time with gossip.  
Haruka liked the silence. She liked being alone with her thoughts. This was her first time cleaning the main music room. The piano stood there alone, like a king waiting for his subjects. So far, piano lessons were focused on the students that never had any kind of contact with the instrument. Like Michiru. Even being a skilled violinist, the girl was struggling to learn how to play it.  
Haruka felt like she needed to do something about it. Like offer to tutor her. And Michiru could teach her about shamisen. It was a fair trade, right?  
Distracted, Haruka didn't realize the first bell rang. Michiru touched her shoulder to get her attention. A small smile in her face as usual. Michiru was always smiling at Haruka, maybe this was a simple way to thank her for just being there.  
Haruka smiled back, gathering their cleaning supplies. Why her roommate couldn't be someone like Michiru? She was polite, kind, smart and since her aunt was a cellist at the main orchestra, she knew a lot about the Revue.  
And she felt at ease just being around her.  
Life was so unfair sometimes.  
******  
After ignoring their housing situation, Haruka with her roommate from hell and Michiru with her angry father, the girls became inseparable. They were always helping each other during cleaning and in class. Haruka could feel her singing improving with just weeks of hard practice. But Michiru was staying behind, even doing a lot of extra classes.  
May came and with it, the whole school started to get ready for the Sumire Hall Fundraising, which would happen in June. It was an event where the school opened its doors to the community, so they could watch the students performing. The tickets sale would be used to improve the school facilities. The Music School was private, but the student body was too small to maintain the school by themselves.  
The freshmen couldn't perform at the fundraising, it was their job to organize everything, from costumes to make up, even music. During one meeting, they decided Michiru would play her violin. And since she was very skilled, Haruka would play the piano. A few other freshmen would help them.  
Michiru didn't like that. She was retired as a violinist and she already had so much work to do, how she was supposed to handle learning more songs to play? And not just that, their class was supposed to take care of everything. Like in those festivals they had back in junior high. But back then, Michiru didn't have classes all day long.  
It was impossible.  
And dealing with all this by herself made everything even worse.  
"This is gonna be great! Don't you think, Kacchan?"  
"Who's 'Kacchan'?" Again Haruka sensed her sadness and was trying to make her laugh. That was the only reason Michiru could think. Haruka always knew when she was feeling bad. And she always knew how to distract her.  
"Why, you of course! We have to find nicknames for ourselves, remember? And calling you Kaiou-San all the time it’s way too formal." Haruka was reading the music sheet the seniors gave her for the fundraising. They could have chosen easier songs...  
But she understood it, easier songs didn't make stars. Challenge did.  
"You're way too ahead, Tenou-san. We barely started school and you are already thinking about nicknames..."  
It was a tradition for every Sienne have her own nickname. Since they would drop their real names after finishing school, and chose stage names for themselves, it was costumary for them to have also nicknames for her classmates to call them and in the future, their fans.  
"Its already May, Kacchan... Tines goes by really fast and I don't wanna waste any time. I chose yours and you can choose mine, deal?"  
"So use my first name. I don't want a nick from my last one." If her father was thinking she was less than a Kaiou for giving up the family legacy, maybe she didn't want to be a Kaiou anymore...  
What in hell's name was she thinking? Looking at Haruka, she didn't seem to notice how mad she was. And it wasn’t fair to get angry at her friend. She didn't know anything about her or her life. They just talked about school and the Revue. Haruka mentioned, every now and then, her grandma or her parents or her older brothers, and how she missed them.  
But aside from her aunt, Haruka didn't know anything about Michiru's private life. She didn't want to pry, Michiru would talk to her when she felt ready.  
"OK, so I'll call you Michi. What do you think?"  
Haruka looked at her clock, they had less than 5 minutes for their extra modern dance class. Being a classical ballerina, Haruka had a crash course in other styles for her entrance exam. She liked tap dance, but ballet was her true passion. She love the structure and organization that ballet provided. Modern dance was a little too erratic in her opinion.  
"Michi? You really put some thought into that, right?" Michiru got her black leotard, already hating the idea of another dance lesson. She liked to dance, she was used to dance all the time when she was young. But her whole body was hurting.  
She was so tired...  
"Come on, it's cute. You can choose another one, but I'll call you Michi." Since they were alone in the room, they decided to change to their dance outfit there. Michiru always tried to not look at the other girls when they were changing. She was already weird enough, with her own preferences and school was already hard enough without any rumours about her.  
If her life wasn’t already hard enough...  
"Michi? Did you heard me?"  
"Sorry, I was thinking about the fundraising. Did you say anything?"  
"Yeah, we better run or we will be late."  
********  
After the class, some girls were leaving for the dorms, the dinner would be served soon and the kitchen staff was pretty adamant about the schedule.  
"Isn't commuting too hard?" Haruka asked, changing back to her grey uniform. She was dying to take her bath and eat something. Michiru was quiet, more than usual. Their teacher was a little rough with her during class, and Haruka was trying to distract her. She didn't know why, but she had this need to make the other girl smile. Michiru was this misterious girl, always so sober. So polite and so distant.  
And Haruka was her polar opposite. Always smiling, jumping around. Even their strict teachers liked having such an enthusiastic student.  
"I don't mind, Osaka is just 30 minutes away..."  
"I miss home. But at least here I don't have to cook. If I did, I would be starving." Haruka laughed, enjoying the fact that the teacher already left, so they could bend the rules a little.  
"My parents aren't home most of days. They work a lot. I usually go to my aunt's house for dinner."  
"The aunt who used to work at the orchestra?"  
Michiru gave Haruka a tiny smile, happy that her friend, she could call her that? remembered that fact about her.  
"Yeah. Aunt Saeko used to work here before I was even born. She was the one who introduced me to my instructor." Michiru missed her classes with Mayuko, even being harsh with her, Mayuko was always smiling. Just that made the young student feel better. "And my uncle Jun is still a conductor at the orchestra."  
Haruka looked at Michiru, suprised by the new info the girls just told her. She finished gathering her things in her satchel.  
"Do you wanna get some dinner? It's on me."

*****  
The rules about how a Takarazuka Music School student should do everything also determined how they should act in public and even which stores they could attend. Haruka and Michiru were still learning about all those rules, so they were always trying to be really careful to not do anything wrong.  
The blonde girl took her friend to a small restaurant a few streets down the school. She had dinner there a few times with some classmates on Sundays, since the kitchen was closed.  
It was a hot spring night. A few other students decided to have dinner at the same restaurant too, since their curfew was a couple of hours away.  
Haruka lead Michiru to the back of the restaurant. The owners, an old couple, used the back yard for the Siennes to be, so they could have their meals without being bothered. Since their daughter was a former Sienne, they knew how important it was for these girls to have a place where they could just relax, outside school.  
"My father sent me my allowance, so order whatever you want." Haruka choose a table in the back, she knew Michiru wasn't too social and she wanted to talk to her friend. After being scolded by their teacher, Haruka figured Michiru would want to be alone, but she couldn't just let her go. Not if she was upset.  
"I'm sorry about what happened in class today."  
"Why you are apologizing?" Michiru didn't even bother to look at the menu, she just wanted a light sandwich. "I am the one who shouldn't be in this school..."  
Shocked by her friend's words, Haruka waited to place their order so they could talk more freely.  
After the old man left to get their food, Haruka looked at the other girl, amazed by her sad face.  
"I'm so tired, Haruka." It was the first time Michiru called her by her first name. "My whole body hurts, I can't focus, I can't memorize lines, I'm not ready to take any tests. I can't take any more info, like those songs the honkasei class gave to us."  
Haruka looked around, and after realized no one was paying attention to them, she took Michiru's hand in hers.  
"You know our entrance exam was the easy part? That now everything will just get worse?"  
"That's supposed to cheer me up?" Michiru asked. Why Haruka's hand felt so warm?  
"No, no, you got me wrong. What I'm trying to tell you is this: you need to relax. Rest a lot, healthy food and some relaxing exercises for after dance classes and you will be fine."  
Michiru knew Haruka was trying to make her feel better. But she couldn't just believe everything was this easy. That was Haruka's recipe? Food, rest and exercises?  
"My father hates me for being here. He barely speaks to me anymore and… I don't have anyone to talk about this. I think my whole family are waiting for me to fail."  
"That's why you can't focus in class?"  
"You can tell?" Michiru asked, surprised.  
"Well, yeah. I think you have potential, ‘cause if you didn't, you wouldn't be here. And I think you're so lost in your own head, you aren't paying attention to anything around you."  
An old woman stopped by their table, putting their plates with some sandwiches in front of them. She looked at their joint hands, but didn't say anything.  
"I don't know your family, Michi. But I really doubt they're rooting against you." Haruka took a sip of her tea before continuing. "Please, just try this: just enjoy being here. I'll help you with anything you need, so you won't feel this way. "  
"And why would you help me?"  
"Cause you're my friend. And since I was five, I try to help all the damsels in distress."  
Michiru laughed quietly, feeling like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. This could work, if she could rely on her friend. This school was too hard to face it alone.  
"Thank you Haruka. And now I know what I'll call you."  
"Yeah? Please, do tell."  
Michiru took a bit of her sandwich, liking how light and tasty it was. Still not better than those her cousin Ami did for her, every night after she got home. Ami just knew her and understood her. And eating sandwiches together for dinner gave them some quality time together.  
"My prince..."

 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> read and review, plz


	5. May

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don´t own Sailor Moon. Just borrowed its characters for this journey.. Don´t own Takarazuka or any related stuff. I have so much respect for this company and its actresses/staff.
> 
> Author´s note: I decided to post all the chapters I already wrote for this story :) Hope you guys like it.

Chapter 5

After talking to Haruka at the restaurant, Michiru felt the heaviness in her heart was gone. She was feeling a lot better and was slightly improving in class. She asked her cousin to look up for some info, about stress relief techniques for her muscles and added it to her nightly routine. It was hard work, but if she wanted to succeed, Michiru knew this was just the beginning.  
Her class had two weeks to get ready for the Fundraising, so Michiru had one week to learn the songs the senior class asked her and one week to practice. She never knew she would be playing her violin again, at least not for school, and she couldn't help but feel happy about it.  
Now that she was free of her obligation, Michiru was excited about playing again. She would have dinner at her aunt's place and then, practice for at least one hour after getting home. This way she wouldn't overdo anything and would be able to rest a lot.  
Just like Haruka suggested.  
Michiru was starting to get confused by the other girl. Haruka was always so nice to her, always taking care of her. After all, she was a damsel in distress and Haruka was a prince.  
Her prince.  
Feeling her face warming up, Michiru realized she was blushing. And felt ridiculous. Haruka was a classmate, future coworker. Michiru just couldn’t have a crush on her.  
If the Revue already had so many rules for how the students and actresses should act, she was sure this would get her expelled for sure. So no, not going to happen.  
She was just glad because Haruka helped her, because she was her friend. Nothing else.  
When her father got home, Michiru was tuning her violin. After putting it aside since she started school, Daiki was surprised when he saw what his daughter was doing. He still felt so betrayed. Every time he looked at his daughter, his only daughter, he remembered how easily she dismissed the legacy their family spent decades building.  
Insolent teenager.  
But he promised he would leave her alone if Michiru passed the entrance exam. Daiki felt his heart hurting. Specially because he blamed his wife for Michiru's choices. If Natsuki wasn’t so independent, Michiru would never even think about not being a musician. She would marry a nice man after school, a musician like them and would take care of their conservatory.  
It was a simple and easy plan. And his daughter refused to play her role.  
Daiki tried to swallow his male pride. Even being angry at Natsuki, she was his wife. He knew the kind of woman she was when he married her. And this was his sacrifice to maintain his marriage.  
He couldn't help but notice his daughter. She had this tiny smile on her face, just like when she was younger, and her violin was just a plaything, not a valuable instrument.  
Not her entire future.  
"Are you going to talk to her or do you wanna just stand there, looking like a fool?" Natsuki asked, as she saw her husband stand next to the door, looking at Michiru.  
"This is a mistake, Natsuki. I should have never let her apply for that school."  
"And risk having an unhappy kid at home? We talked about this. She's going to be an actress and she's so happy about it." Natsuki was tired of Daiki acting like a child. She loved him dearly, but he was so damn stubborn!  
"I'm tired, I don't want to talk about this," He finally said, crossing the living room, going to his bedroom. Why Michiru couldn't just understand the difficult position she got her family into?  
Natsuki sighed. Maybe someday Daiki would come to his senses. She was supporting her daughter. Because she wanted Michiru to be happy.  
"What are you doing? I thought you had to learn piano at school?" The older woman asked, sitting on the couch next to the girl.  
"Oh, we have an event and the senior class asked me to play for them.”  
"And are you okay with this? If I recall, you're not happy with your violin."  
"Oh, mother..." Michiru put her instrument aside and looked right into her mother's bright blue eyes. "I couldn't be happier."

********  
The whole school was excited about the fundraising event. The seniors were busy rehearsing their songs and choreography, so it was up to the freshmen to do the advertising, among other tasks. A group of ten girls was appointed to go around town, specifically to the stores and train stations they're allowed to go to post flyers and banners.  
Haruka wanted to go with them. She barely knew the city she was living. Takarazuka would be her home for who knew how long and she just knew the school, the grand theater and the street where was the restaurant she liked.  
She missed seeing other people. She was prepared to be a TMS student. But she wasn't still not ready to be a board school student yet. She missed her family, and she was always writing them when she had time.  
But she wouldn't trade being at Takarazuka Music School. She was happy. Finally in her place.  
"A yen for your thoughts."  
Distracted, the blonde girl didn't even realize Michiru was right next to her. Today they would start their rehearsal for the event. Being careful about Michiru's stressed condition, Haruka decided they would practice for one hour, and then Michiru, the only commuting girl in the musician group, would be free to go home. Haruka was adamant about that; she wanted everyone to be rested and happy enough to do a good presentation at the event.  
The seniors would be the only class performing, but this didn't mean the freshmen were free to just not care. Next year, they would be responsible for the performances. And Haruka was sure she would be there, on the small stage in the school gym.  
Then musician freshmen group was reunited after classes. They asked for permission to use the music room with the bigger piano, and since no one would be studying there, Haruka thought the students were afraid of the black instrument, their teachers let them use the room.  
Haruka was looking at the music sheets and thinking about home and how her grandma would be proud of her for being already in a school event, even being a student for less than two months, when Michiru entered the room, her violin case in hand.  
"Michi! You scared the hell out of me!” The students weren't allowed to talk too loud, so they were always whispering. Haruka looked at her other classmates; no one heard her calling Michiru by the name she gave her. And she didn't want anyone to call her that.  
'Michi' was hers and hers only.  
"Sorry, sorry. But you were practically asking for it," The aquamarine girl said, taking, carefully, her violin from its case. Haruka was enjoying this carefree version of Michiru. Since their talk at the restaurant, Haruka could feel the results. Michiru was more focused, their teachers were even surprised with her improvement. Haruka would even risk saying Michiru looked happier.  
"So, today is our first rehearsal for the fundraising," Haruka started, gathering the other students around her. This was natural for her. Born a natural leader, she was always taking care of everything and taking the lead. "So, let's go through the first song. We have 6 days to do this, the fundraising is this Sunday. So let's keep our mind focused."  
There were just five of them. Haruka would the on piano, Michiru on her violin, one girl would play a shamisen and two brought their flutes.  
Haruka only knew about her own skills. The other girls? She didn't have a clue if they were good or not. So she started to play an easy melody, one she learned a long time ago.  
"OK, let's get warmed? I'll play this tune so you guys follow me, okay?"  
She wasn't a teacher. And she was hopeful the seniors didn't pull a prank on her, choosing people who can't play anything.  
But, when she paid attention to Michiru's violin, it was like the first time she saw a Takarazuka play live. The same feeling of pure happiness was running all over her body, like an electric shock.  
Soon, everyone was following Michiru, like background dancers basking in the lead star's talent. She was incredible. Her violin was an extension of her arms, she played with such a grace and elegance...  
Without even realizing, Haruka had tears in her eyes. The melody Michiru was playing was like her soul was trying to tell everyone about some secret. It was about love, sadness, redemption, light and darkness.  
Michiru was indeed a very talented musician. And Haruka was grateful for being able to listen to her playing.  
"Kaiou-san, that was amazing!" One of the flautists, an older girl whose name Haruka couldn’t remember now, said. Embarrassed, Michiru gave them a shy smile, before focusing her eyes in Haruka.  
"That was beautiful, Kaiou-san," Haruka said, the other girl's surname so heavy in her tongue. Like it was so wrong for her to say it. "Now I think we'll pull this off, ladies..."

********  
Oosaka Naru was a young girl who just got into college. At the age of 18, she had this dream to go to a business school and learn how to take care of the family business, a small jewelry shop in Dotonbori, a commercial area in Osaka.  
Born in Takarazuka, she moved to Osaka when her parents got divorced. She was three at the time, so she barely remembered the years she lived in that town.  
Her mother, Oosaka Mayumi, was always busy with the shop and in her free time, she was a proud member of a Takarasienne fan club. When she was a little girl, Naru never really understood why her mother would spend her time and money just to watch some plays in their hometown. The train ride wasn’t long, so Mayumi usually left her daughter taking care of their shop to attend her favorite actress' performances. She also attended tea parties, dinner shows and met the actress she liked before and after her performances.  
For young Naru, all the club activities were just a waste of time. But she understood why her mother needed so bad some time off. Being owner of a small business in a huge city like Osaka wasn't easy. She was always working, planning better sales actions, dealing with suppliers...  
It was a stressful life. And Naru knew that would be her life too. That's why she decided to go to college and get a degree in business. This way she would be able to repay every sacrifice her mother made. And maybe, transform that tiny little store into something for her mother to be proud.  
Since she was a little girl, Naru liked to read her mother's magazines and books about the Revue. Mayumi was a fan of an otokoyaku who was working hard as nibante, the second most important actress in the troupe, only behind the Top Star herself.  
Naru watched plays from now and then, but she didn't feel this connection that her mother had with her idol. For Naru, every actress was amazing, being able to sing, dance and act. Her mother always told her she would find her Star. Like that old saying 'when the student is ready, the master appears.'  
Naru knew this was the way her mother found to have some relaxing happiness in her life. And if her mother was happy she was happy.  
A few weeks after Naru's eighteenth birthday, her mother asked her to attend the Sumire Hall Fundraising Event, using her tickets. She was called to be a speaker in another event, for small business owners, so, sadly, she would have to miss the TMS fundraising, for the first time in almost 25 years.  
Knowing her mother was feeling sad due missing the event, Naru called some of her friends from college and decided make a day of it.  
The fundraising event would happen on the last Sunday of May, and consisted of some sketches, coral and dance presentation. It was the first time the students would have a direct contact with the public.  
Traditionally, only the seniors had permission to perform. Since the school term started in April, they didn't have the knowledge to pull a presentation. So it was up to them to take care of everything else. From tickets, to sitting the visiting audience. And everything would be supervised by their teachers.  
Takarazuka Music School was very strict, and they demanded just perfection.  
Naru arrived with her friends at the school a few minutes past 9. She knew some of her college friends were fans of the Revue, but they never had the chance to go to an event like this.  
They were greeted at the entrance by a smiling girl in a grey uniform, who checked their tickets and gave them a copy of the program. Another student helped them find their seats, in the middle row, her mother favorite place to seat in every performance she attended.  
The silence at the makeshift theater was almost uncomfortable. She looked around and saw some girls in uniforms walking fast, since it was forbidden for them to run. The lights flickered and she knew it was about to begin.  
"Friends, family and visitors, welcome to our annual Sumire Hall fundraising event," A masculine voice said from the stage and Naru looked up to see a balding man, wearing a dark suit with thick glasses standing in the spotlight. "Thank you for your presence here today, to see our students perform. We will give you an afternoon of delight, with music and dance. After the performance, feel free to visit our school. Our freshmen will gladly show you around."  
He bowed and left the stage. Naru thought it was weird to see a man in a Takarazuka stage, even he being a teacher. It just didn't fit.  
The performances were nice, funny and showed Naru and her friends how talented those girls were. Some of them would be great actresses someday and Naru could see herself watching them at the grand theater.  
Maybe this was her mother true purpose when she told Naru to use her tickets. To make her daughter bond with a Sienne-to-be and follow her through her whole career.  
Naru laughed at this thought. These girls were indeed very talented, but she wasn't too impressed by them. At least, not enough to join a club.

********

Haruka was ecstatic. She never knew being this close to the action would give her such a rush.  
Her Sunday started early, and she was tired, after spending all her free time studying, practicing and helping in the event. And before going to the gym, to play the requested songs, she had to help with last minute details.  
She had no idea a small fundraising event would demand so much work. She would be lost if it wasn't for her natural leadership. So it was up to her guide her classmates to make this fundraising really memorable.  
The seniors were getting ready for their performances and the freshmen, divided in three groups, took care of one task. Haruka and the rest of the musicians, who would perform later, were responsible for the backstage area. So, they watched everything from behind the curtains, in really privileged place.  
"Nervous?" Haruka asked Michiru, who was pacing around, her violin case resting against the wall.  
"Not really. I'm just trying to get into my happy place..." The girl answered. This was going to be the first time she would perform after 'retiring' and she was indeed nervous. But Haruka was so supportive and attentive, she wanted to play cool and keep her distance. The past week they spent rehearsing brought them even close together and Michiru wasn’t happy about that. She could feel her crush for Haruka getting bigger and bigger, and she couldn't let that happen. Not now. Not ever.  
"This happy place of yours helps you concentrate?" The blonde girl looked at the music sheets they would be playing later. She had a look at the audience before and they had a nearly full house.  
"Yeah. My dad taught me that, so this way I wouldn't be nervous when I was playing. I just hope this helps me when it’s my turn to go on stage."  
"Michi… You don't have to be nervous. You're a great violinist." Haruka crossed her arms.  
"My violin won't help me going through the school, my prince." Michiru was tired of Haruka making this harder for her. Always so thoughtful of her needs and her well-being. Making it impossible to not have a crush on her.  
Listening to her friend calling her by that nickname, Haruka smiled.  
"You will be fine, Michi. Just don't demand too much from yourself."  
"I just need some time for myself, Haruka..."  
Michiru was the first girl in her class Haruka befriended. They had a special bond because they were together since their entrance exam. And Haruka liked to think they would be like this for the rest of their school life. Like the sisters they're supposed to be.  
But maybe Michiru didn't think the same way. Maybe for Michiru, Haruka was just another classmate.  
Then possibility of that being true practically broke Haruka's young heart. Her roommate was this selfish, bored girl. She was away from her family, living in a strange place. So it was natural for her to connect to someone who was going through the same. Michiru was fun, smart and talented. And her violin, her music, was probably the most amazing sound she ever listened in her young life.  
"Tenou-san? We're next." One of the flautists warned her, taking Haruka out of her thoughts. Maybe they could talk later. Or Haruka could just fulfill Michiru's wish and leave her alone.

*****

Haruka never played for a big crowd before. She had no idea small fundraising events were popular, so she was pretty surprised when she quietly walked to the piano located in a small area designed for musicians next to the stage. She tried to maintain her best game face, a perfect example of a student.  
Michiru stood next to her, her violin waiting for her cue. She was in her happy place, in her comfort zone. Being a violinist for most of her life prepared her for this. Besides, this would help her to show to her entire school that she was ready to do anything for the Revue. After a rocky start, Michiru had another chance to make a good impression.  
They barely looked at the stage. Having practiced all their cues, they knew exactly when they should start playing and which song. After all, they're practically professional musicians. The other three girls in their small group were also talented. If this was a regular school, Haruka would want to play again with them. But the main focus of Music School wasn’t forming musicians.  
During the last song, Haruka looked at Michiru and saw the other girl with her eyes closed, totally immersed in her music. Her long, delicate fingers working furiously on the strings, changing from one accord to another in such an easy way. Haruka never saw anything like that in her young life.  
And she never saw Michiru looking this beautiful.

******

After the performances, Naru went to the main patio. She was always curious about the school, about how a two-year course helped create amazing performances and beautiful plays. Most of the students were younger than her and it was hard to fully understand how someone so young could just commit most of her life to a theater company.  
Perhaps this meant someone who already knew what they wanted to with their life. Just like Naru and her dream to become a businesswoman.  
Maybe she wasn't too different from those smiling girls she saw before.  
At the main patio, a few students were talking to some visitors, showing them some banners and pamphlets, about the school, the Revue and upcoming plays. Naru approached a group who were listening attentively to a tall girl, with black short hair. She seemed old for her school uniform, and Naru figured she was a senior.  
Lost in the girl's speech, Naru didn't even realize her friends leaving her behind to find a place to eat. A few minutes later, she received a message on her phone, telling her where her friends were.  
After answering the text, Naru was free to wander around the school. She joined a small group of visitors, leaded by the same tall girl from before, and they started to explore the school building.

******

Naru was having an ice cream in front if the school building. She did everything her mother told her to, watched the performances, made a tour in the premises, made a donation in the name of their store. She was just waiting for her friends to come back so they could head home.  
She was distracted when she saw a small group of students walking in her direction. They were almost whispering to each other, like every other student she met. Even in a Sunday, the students needed to follow the school rules.  
Naru saw a tall blonde girl, with her hair braided like the other girls, walking beside an aquamarine haired student and they looked... happy, like they were proud of themselves. Recognizing them being the group of musicians from the performances, the auburn haired girl decided to talk to them. For the tallest girl hairstyle, she imagined them being freshmen, since the student who would become otokoyaku in the future just had their hair cut during their second year in the school.  
"Hello, excuse me?" Naru said, startling the girls. She smiled, seeing how pretty those girls were, and noticing the tall blonde one being in front of the other girls, as if to protect them. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your music today. You are all very talented."  
Haruka was surprised by this stranger's compliment. Especially cause today wasn't about them. Like in cue, her companions, including Michiru took a bow, shy smiles on their faces.  
"Thank you," Haruka answered, feeling bold. "Please come to our next event in November. We will be happy to see you there." She made a reverence to this girl, the only one to congratulate them for their work today. "Now if you excuse us..." The blonde girl said leading her friends to the restaurant she loved. Now that the event was over, they were free to enjoy the rest of their Sunday.  
Naru saw the small group leaving fast. And smiled. Her mother was right. She just had to find the right Sienne to follow. And even this one still being in school, Naru had this feeling she would be amazing.

********

After the fundraising event, the entire school started on to get ready for the first test of the school term. Even being a school for future actresses, they had tests and exams like every other school. This way Hankyu, the company that owned the Revue, the school board and the teachers could know their best students and this would influence their future in the company after finishing school.  
For the freshmen classes, they were really applying themselves, since they didn't have to worry about performances. And the June tests meant they would be closer to summer vacation. A whole month away from school, where most of the students would be going back to their hometowns, and get ready for the second part of the year.  
Haruka was excited about going home. She missed her family so much and she was dying to spend some quality time with her grandma. Being her greatest supporter in her insane dream, Tenou Ayako would love to have her granddaughter back into her house.  
She formed a study group with Michiru and the other girls who played with them during the fundraising. That event was good for them, because now they weren't so alone at school. Having each other's back was great. They had more people to rehearse for their acting classes, and they could help each other with their dancing lessons.  
And Haruka loved to have company to watch plays in the grand theater. Michiru, being the only commuter, started to spend more time at school, specially on Saturdays, when they just had half day.  
She was getting better and better, even now, with this support group. In the weeks after the fundraising, she got so distracted, practically forgetting about her crush on Haruka. And that was the best part. Her heart still beat fast when she saw the other girl, but she had this feeling she would get over this soon.  
Their test week would be held in the second week of July, they would need to do practical exams, for singing and dancing and theory tests, including sheet reading, English and history.  
Haruka came up with a studying schedule for them. She would help with ballet, since she was a former ballerina, Michiru was in charge with their theory subjects, specially English, since she lived in the US and Yamamoto Natsume, one of the flautists, was responsible for their singing. Ueda Kaoru, the best freshman in the shamisen class, decided to compose a song for her group to perform during their test and Hayashi Takako took advantage of her modern dance background to help.  
It was a good balanced group. Michiru couldn’t be happier about it. She just needed to relax and enjoy her school life. She had real friends now, not followers, like in her old school. Despite her home situation, life was finally good. She wasn't running away from her past.  
She was running towards a bright future.

 

TBC.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, read and review :D
> 
> I wanna thank my impressive beta, Alex Monopoly Girl, without you, this would be probably another random idea that I would never write it down... Thanks for being a great friend and for helping me with this monster! Your ideas are incredible!


	6. August

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna thank my impressive beta, Alex Monopoly Girl, without you, this would be probably another random idea that I would never write it down... Thanks for being a great friend and for helping me with this monster! Your ideas are incredible! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don´t own Sailor Moon. Just borrowed its characters for this journey.. Don´t own Takarazuka or any related stuff. I have so much respect for this company and its actresses/staff.

Chapter 6

August came and with it, summer vacation. The students would be away from school for a whole month, but not before receiving a lot of recommendations and home work. If they wanted to succeed in a competitive world like this, they would need to practice.  
A lot.  
Haruka was excited because after months of just talking to her family through letters and phone calls, she would finally be able to see them. She had begun to email them, but since she didn't have a lot of free time to spend in a computer, she opted for a more traditional communication form.  
Michiru was a little worried about her days off. This could mean being around her father, and she didn't want to jeopardize her chances at succeeding in school. She was already doing so much better, her exams results were great, she had one of the highest scores in the freshmen class.  
This was all thanks to Haruka. She made up with a perfect plan for them to study and not be overwhelmed by it. And dividing study tasks between her group was just perfect.  
Michiru saw Haruka as this incredible leader. She also knew the other girl was feeling lonely. She barely saw Haruka's roommate and figured they didn't have a good relationship. And for someone so talkative and friendly, it should be a nightmare for her.  
Haruka had this romanticized idea about living in a board school. She wanted to become best friends with her roommate and her other classmates, like they were sisters or something. Michiru found it very cute. A little naive, but still cute. Haruka was this silly, over grown, country girl who had a heart of gold.  
And Michiru liked her for that.  
Not being able to fight her crush anymore, the aquamarine haired girl decided to let it die naturally. Of course she would have a crush on Haruka. She wasn't the first and probably she wouldn't be the last. So why fight it?  
Maybe this month apart would help killing it. At least, Michiru was counting in it.

******  
Hiroaki was waiting for his sister at the station, with her best friend Mamoru. The younger boy decided to tag along and surprise his friend. This was the first time they would see each other after Haruka left for school and he was excited, feeling so happy to finally being able to be with her.  
Making friends wasn't easy for him, even being admired and liked at school, he always struggled with letting people in. Haruka was the very best exception, she understood him and his ambitions to become a lawyer like his father.  
And being away from her was killing him. Without her at school, he became this lonely, unreachable boy. Haruka was his bridge to the other students. Being an only child, Mamoru felt more comfortable around adults. He was well liked by his teachers, always polite and so smart.  
Haruka tried to write him often, but he understood how busy she was. He also had cram school and English lessons after school.  
Maybe now with her back, even for one month, they would be able to hang out and just enjoy each other's company. And Mamoru knew his friend would be insanely busy after school. He couldn't imagine starting to work at such a young age, but he was supportive if it was Haruka's dream. Takarazuka was her favorite subject and they even watched some performances together.  
When Mamoru saw his friend, still dressed in her school uniform, getting out of the train, his smile was so big. He ran to her, letting Hiroaki behind. The older boy didn't mind, he knew those two were two peas in a pod. He missed his little sister too, and he wanted to hear everything she had to tell about school and her crazy adventures.  
Hiroaki wanted to leave home since he was twelve. Always being compared, even involuntarily, with Hideyuki, his elder brother, he was tired of not being good enough. Hideyuki was this emotionless robot, who only cared for his studies and to get into a good medical school.  
With his siblings being so focused in their future, Hiroaki didn't even know what he wanted for his life. But he stopped caring when Haruka left for the Music School. At 15, she was the first Tenou kid to leave home and follow her dreams.  
It was weird to be at home when she wasn't but Haruka had always been so independent. Maybe it was because she was the youngest and the only girl.  
Their parents never told their children they should move out and live their lives. But Hiroaki was thinking about going to Tokyo for school. He was already studying at the local university, but getting transferred shouldn't be that hard. And finally start his life without being compared with any of his siblings. Not even the mighty genius Hideyuki or the madly talented Haruka.  
He smirked. Being jealous of his 15 years old sister wasn’t something he was used to.  
Since Haruka was still dressed in her grey uniform, complete with her red bowtie and hat, both boys refrained themselves of giving her bone crushing hugs. Haruka told them about some of the school rules and they wanted to help her respect them.  
"I brought dad's car, we can go to dinner after you change into regular clothes," Hiroaki suggested, imagining Haruka being famished after a 5 hour train ride. She looked tired, even her smile was tiny.  
"That would be great, thanks..." Haruka said, looking at Mamoru who was carrying her luggage. "Where's everyone?"  
"Oh, dad's working and mom had to take care of some stuff at school," Hiroaki said, knowing Haruka missed their parents. "Hideyuki said he will meet us for dinner later, he's studying or something. I really didn't pay any attention."  
Haruka gave her brother a small smile. Knowing how busy her family was, she was happy at least someone went to pick her up. 

*******

Michiru walked into the studio where she spent most of her free time before her test. Mayuko was busy teaching a class for a few teenager girls.  
She stood next to the door, thinking about not even one year ago she was having a crash course in ballet. Mayuko was a strict teacher, but always with a smile and grace. If one day Michiru became the graceful and elegant woman that Mayuko was she would be glad.  
Her former instructor was a musumeyaku for almost ten years. And Michiru admired her so much. The girl knew she would become one, just like Mayuko. She wasn't too tall, and her voice was a little high. With some practice, she would be a good singer and dancer.  
Distracted, Michiru barely realized the ballet lesson was over. She couldn't believe she was already in a classroom in less than one day after summer vacation started.  
But she couldn't just stay at home. Her father was still mad at her, so angry and sad. Michiru felt sorry for him. She admired her father, his talent and how smart he was. But his traditionalist mind was the worst part of him. Michiru couldn't blame him, she grew up with an aunt who thought it was a good thing to retire and became a housewife.  
Michiru smirked. Her father would probably have a heart attack if he knew her inner thoughts about girls, or her crush on a classmate. Daiki couldn’t even forgive her for becoming an actress.  
"What are you smiling about, Michiru-chan?" Mayuko asked, looking at her former student. Michiru was her most successful project, as a teacher. The girl barely knew modern dance and her ballet skills were pretty basic. And yet, she was able to enter the Music School.  
The moment Mayuko heard Michiru passed her test, the younger girl stopped being her student. Now Michiru was her protégé, someone who would follow Mayuko's footsteps and her legacy.  
During her time at the Revue, Mayuko got a couple of lead roles. But she decided to retire, or ‘graduate’, as the Siennes called it and teach ballet and dance to girls, help others to fulfill their dream to become Siennes. Maybe she would even try to become an instructor at the Music School someday.  
"Mayuko-san?" Michiru started, while helping Mayuko getting the studio ready for the afternoon class. "I was wondering if I could help you during my summer vacation." This could be a good way to practice and stay sharp for the rest of the school year. And an excellent way to not be around her home. Michiru didn't feel like dealing with her father. At least not now.  
She had a lot to think about, a lot to deal with and if she got distracted, even a little bit, she could lose everything.  
Mayuko knew Michiru's home situation, since she was friends with her aunt. She knew a few girls back in the Revue who had faced something similar, but she couldn't imagine what her pupil was going through. Michiru was way too young to go through all this. So if she could help, she wouldn't ever say no to her.  
"Of course. I am working on a recital for my students. I need someone who can dance to help them with choreography," The older women said, smiling. Maybe she still had a few things to teach Michiru.

********  
A few days later, Haruka's father, Hideo, decided to take a day off and take his whole family out for dinner. Even not being exactly always present, he missed his children. Sometimes he felt like his kids were all grown up and he had missed it. Hideyuki and Hiroaki were two adults now and Haruka had even moved out.  
He tried to be there for them. Tried to go to ballet recitals, school festivals, family vacations. But, like his own father, Hideo was just too busy. Being married to the chief of medicine's daughter didn't help. It was expected for him to step up and take his father in law's place someday.  
Luckily, his wife understood. Rina was used to this lifestyle, since she grew up with an absent father. Hideo hated not being there for his family, but he was trying his best to support them.  
Follow your own dream. Like his father said to him when he left home. Like his father always said to him.  
The family motto.  
At least, that was something he could do for his children. Support them in every possible way. Hideyuki wanted to be a doctor? No problem, let's find him a good school and a good hospital for him to work. Haruka wanted to become an actress? Totally fine, let's send her to the best school in the country. Hiroaki was still figuring his life out? That's okay, let's give him everything he needs to make a good choice.  
Hideo just wanted his kids to be happy. Even if that implied being away from them for so long.  
When he got home, the man couldn't help but smile. Hideyuki was reading a book, probably getting ahead with his summer homework, Hiroaki was playing videogames with his mother and Haruka, his only girl, his precious princess, was doing some muscle relaxation exercises. It was like they never grew up.  
"Dad!" She looked up and saw him looking at her, always with his gentle green eyes, just like hers. Being the only girl, Haruka was closer to her father. In their own ways. When he was home, he became the villian of her childish plays. He helped her study, taught her how to write and read.  
Haruka was his special little princess. She brought tears to his eyes more than once, with her plays and performances. Hideo thought she was on the right path, because she was very talented.  
And he couldn't wait to hear all about her adventures at Takarazuka Music School.

*******

Ami was working on her summer homework, lying on her bed, when Michiru entered in the room. The younger girl just looked at her cousin, quickly taking of her eyes from the book she was reading.  
Since Michiru started school, Ami's life was about her studies. Decided to become a doctor, she was even thinking about going to another country for college. Of course it was almost impossible for her mother to let her go, but a girl could dream… If Michiru was working her ass off like a maniac at her school, Ami could do the same.  
She admired her cousin for going against everyone and everything. She wanted to have that courage, to defy her parents and just be herself.  
The doctor she wanted to be.  
But Ami believed courage was attached to the Kaiou name.  
The blue haired girl looked up at her cousin and tried to smile. It wasn't Michiru’s fault that she was a coward. And she was going through so many things, Ami couldn't just to cry over her own issues.  
Michiru needed her, so she could go through this.  
"I want to take you out for dinner," Michiru said, sitting next to Ami. She was smiling, feeling happy. Helping Mayuko was so satisfying, even if she was just watching from afar. She could hear the girls whispering to each other, specially about her status as a future Sienne, a proud student of Takarazuka music school.  
Michiru knew some of those girls looked up to her. They wanted to try out for the school some day and knowing someone who was already a student could help them achieve their dream.  
Because that was what Takarazuka really was. A dream factory.  
And Michiru was so damn proud to be part of it.  
"Dinner? Just you and me?" Ami asked, putting the book she was reading aside.  
"Yeah, I want to spend some quality time with my favorite cousin,” Michiru answered, already at the door. She didn't want to waste any time. Even after a full day of helping at the studio, she felt so much energy running around her body.  
And she couldn't want anything else for her life. 

********  
The girls choose a cute place to eat, a traditional ramen restaurant they were familiar with. Sitting at the back, like they used to do every time they ate there. They placed their order; Ami didn't realize how hungry she was until she walked inside the restaurant.  
"So, I was so nervous, because I haven't played in months, but Haruka, I mean, Tenou-san calmed me down and convinced me to go for it," Michiru said. She was telling Ami about the fundraising and how helpful Haruka was.  
"I don't think I would survive school without my regular classes." Ami laughed a little. "I kinda need my math..."  
"Oh, but the classes are great! I mean, it’s pretty tiring, but I'm learning so many things." Michiru was always very excited when she talked about school. "And I even made some friends."  
Even meeting every day for dinner, the girls barely talked about their school lives. Ami knew just a few things about what was happening with Michiru, but seeing now how excited she was, how happy, how free her cousin was, Ami realized that Michiru had followed her true path.  
Going to the Music School had set her free. She was so different from the composed girl, who worked so hard to make everyone proud. But now, Michiru was making herself proud. And that was the best part.  
Maybe someday, Ami could do the same. And just let it go. Follow her beloved cousin's footsteps. And allow herself to be happy.  
"So, tell me more about these friends you made. Is Tenou-san one of them?"  
Ami couldn't help but laugh when she realized Michiru was slightly blushing. 

*******  
The trip to Hakui was a quiet one. Haruka was so excited to see her grandmother again; she couldn't wait to see her. It was the first time she was visiting Ayako alone. Her father had some events at the hospital and Rina had stayed back to help him. And her brothers had decided to go to Tokyo, so Hiroaki could check some schools.  
So, this year she was by herself. And Mamoru. She invited her best friend so they could spend some quality time over the summer vacation. She would be going back to school in two weeks and he knew how busy she would be.  
Ayako was waiting for them at the train station. And she couldn't help but smile when she saw her beautiful granddaughter leaving the train, looking for her.  
"Grandma!" The girl called out happily. They hadn’t seen each other since before Haruka moved away. They exchanged letters and emails, but the school occupied a lot of Haruka's free time so they didn’t get to talk as often as they would have liked.  
Mamoru was in charge of getting their baggage, so he watched from afar the meeting between the two Tenou women. He knew how much Haruka loved her grandmother, how much influence Ayako had in his friend's life. And he loved the old woman like she was his own grandma. She always made him feel welcome in her home. Like she knew his family life wasn't the best one.  
His parents were really busy and since they moved to Nagano since his mother got a prestigious position as a fellow in cardiothoracic surgeon. And they didn't have any family around, everyone they knew stayed back in Tokyo.  
For a young boy, living like this would he hard. Especially because Mamoru was an only child. Without any brothers and sisters, he closed himself, trying to enjoy his loneliness the best way he could.  
Until Haruka came into his life. And took him out of his lonely cocoon. They were practically inseparable until she moved away for school.  
She was the sister he never had. And Mamoru missed her like hell. Of course, he understood why she left and he supported her search for her dream. And Haruka did the same for him. Mamoru admired his mother, her work at the hospital and her dedication to medicine. But he inherited his father's trust for justice and wanted to become a lawyer just like him.  
"I am so glad to have you both here," Ayako said. Her house was just a few blocks away from the train station, so they decided to walk there. Mamoru, being the perfect gentleman, was carrying their baggage. "It’s good to know that not all my grandchildren are old enough to spend the summer here.”  
"Of course not, grandma! I mean, my brothers are idiots," Haruka said, looking around the street, realizing everything was still the same in that small town. Hakui was pretty much the same since Ayako was a little girl. Not that she minded.  
Since she became a widow, life was calm enough. She was still working at the family clinic, as a nurse. Ayako loved helping people and everyone trusted her. And since her husband passed away, she had a doctor coming to visit every other week.  
In a fast paced country, the peaceful life she had in Hakui was exactly what she asked for. 

******  
"Oh, grandma, I almost cried when we finished our presentation." Haruka was helping the old woman with dinner. Mamoru did some shopping earlier, since Ayako wanted to do something special to celebrate their visit. She knew her granddaughter loved salads, so she decided to make an old Tsuchiya recipe, a salad with crab, cucumber, scallops and just a hint of citric sauce. She also decided to make a white fish, cucumber, grated radish and scallions salad. It was a perfect combination, seafood and vegetables. And Ayako knew how much Haruka liked it.  
The old woman was attentively listening to the girl, as she told her all about her first months in school. Ayako always thought that, for someone so young, Haruka already had a good work ethic. She was always working hard, always giving her best in everything she did.  
'This girl will be a great actress someday' she thought. The old woman had great expectations for her granddaughter. She knew the Revue was this magic place where dreams come true. And seeing her baby girl dressed in that grey uniform was already a reason to be proud.  
Ayako smiled. When she first started being a fan of the Revue, she never knew she would have someone she knew intimately in their ranks.  
Mamoru was getting the table ready for their dinner. He had been listening to Haruka tell these stories since she got back from school and honestly, he didn't mind. It was good to be around her again.  
"And you, Mamoru-kun, any news in your life?" Ayako asked the boy, while she worked on the salad dressing. "Any girlfriends?"  
Haruka laughed when she saw her best friend getting all red and stuttering. Mamoru was a shy kid, his personal life always private. But she knew his popularity back in junior high, and now that he was a high school student, she could bet even the older girls were throwing themselves at his feet. Mamoru was handsome, tall, with jet black hair and deep blue eyes. Not just that, being really smart, Haruka lost count how many times he had helped her with homework or studying for tests.  
"Ayako-bacchan!" He called, embarrassed, not expecting a really forward question.  
"Oh, sorry. Any boyfriends, then?" The old woman sat at the table, calmly waiting for the kids.  
Haruka started laughing really loud at Ayako's words. And that was one of many reasons why she loved her grandma. She was always brave enough to say whatever she wanted to say. Ayako had this philosophy that life was too short to hold things inside.  
The young actress wasn't used to deal with the elderly, but she was pretty sure Ayako wasn’t a typical grandma...  
Seeing Haruka laughing, Mamoru couldn't help but chuckle. He should be used to this already.  
"Just no girlfriends," He clarified. "I've been busy. High school is a lot harder than I imagined..." He sat by her side, putting some salad on his plate. Haruka poured some grape juice for them and tasted the dressing her grandma made.  
It tastes like childhood. Like those Sundays she spent watching old plays with Ayako. Thinking how great would be to be in that stage someday. She shouldn’t be away from her grandma for so long. Maybe she could come back for New Year’s break.  
"Grandma, I bought you some DVDs and magazines," Haruka started, helping herself with some fish. "You remember that actress who did a presentation during my entrance exam? I got one of her plays. She's amazing and I think you'll like her."  
"Oh thanks. What was her name again?"  
"Araki Sei. I met her the other day, she's really nice. "  
Mamoru just listened to the women talking. Feeling a little out casted, because his interest in the Revue wasn't a match... He knew Haruka and Ayako could talk about it for decades. Not that he minded, but sometimes the boy just wanted her to have other interests.  
Ayako noticed how quiet the boy was, just playing with his food, looking a little bored.  
"Haruka, we can watch it later. Now, both of you, tell me, what are your plans for this last two weeks of summer vacation?"  
It was her job to educate the youngsters. And Haruka was a little too young to be all obsessed with her future career. She should learn to relax and get some rest. Her life would be even harder if she didn't learn how to loosen up a little bit.

*********  
Michiru was using Ami's laptop to do some work for Mayuko. The recital her mentor put together was a success and among her duties, Michiru was responsible for documenting everything. She took a lot of pictures and now she was choosing the best ones to use.  
Taking the pictures was something she never did before. She was always in the receiving end of the camera, with her fake smile in position. Always trying to look perfect, the perfect daughter, perfect musician, perfect everything.  
Michiru always hated that. She hated looking at herself in pictures, how she was always pretending to be someone she wasn't. But she knew Mayuko couldn't afford a professional photographer. Her dance studio was a good one, but it wasn't big enough to afford this luxury.  
And since Michiru was supposed to help her, why not give her former instructor this? During the summer vacation, Michiru saw how much hard work was to train girls for the entrance exam, the same one she took a few months ago. When she was just a student, she didn't realize how tiring was teaching. Specially when some students weren't collaborating. Mayuko mentioned she had one really talented girl, but she wasn’t disciplined enough and even wanting so bad to go to the music school, Mayuko didn't see a future in there for her.  
It was a teacher's job to believe in their students, but Mayuko knew the school. She knew the Revue. And she knew talent wasn't enough.  
Michiru look at one of the girl's picture. She was tall, slender and strong, but yet delicate. With her short light brown hair, she reminded her of Haruka. But Haruka wasn't a troublemaker. She was always on time for practice and classes; she knew her choreography and lines and was trying to getting better and better.  
"Who is that?" Ami's voice startled Michiru. The blue haired girl smiled at her cousin's reaction.  
"Oh, that's one of Mayuko-san' students. I think she would be a great asset for the school," Michiru answered, taking deep breaths. She knew she was the only one with whom her cousin would play like that.  
"She seems pretty. Is she good enough?"  
"Yeah. She's a natural, so confident." Michiru kept looking at some other pictures, gathering them in a flash drive. "She looks like..."  
"Let me guess: Tenou-san?" Ami asked, seating beside her cousin. Her tone was almost mocking Michiru.  
"Yeah, but not physically," the aquamarine haired girl continued, not really getting any undertone. "She's good, just not applied enough. And Haruka is completely focused. Did you know she created a series of relaxing exercises for us to do after ballet lessons?"  
"Yeah, you told me that a few times over these past weeks..." Ami laughed. The shy girls always felt so comfortable next to her cousin.  
Michiru had this nostalgic feeling warming her heart. She had been thinking about Haruka in a daily basis, but since she started helping with the recital, she was so busy, she barely had time to do any thinking.  
"Maybe you can talk to her?" Ami looked at the girl's picture on her computer. She had such a bright smile in her face. It would be interesting, at least, to see her on stage someday.  
"What's her name?"  
Michiru thought Ami's idea was good, but she felt like it wasn't her place to do that. She wasn't supposed to give pep talks to the girls, she wasn’t a teacher or anything.  
"It's Kino. Kino Makoto."

 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> read and review, plz


	7. September

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don´t own Sailor Moon. Just borrowed its characters for this journey.. Don´t own Takarazuka or any related stuff. I have so much respect for this company and its actresses/staff.

Chapter 7

Michiru was used to waking up early to go to school. During summer vacation she had kept her alarm clock set at the usual time, so she could have breakfast with her parents and ride the train to Takarazuka.  
To be truly honest to herself, she was dying to go back to school. Not just because she loved what she did there, but she missed being in a place where she could prove herself on a daily basis. Her father was still being his usual self, ignoring her, and her mother was going back and forward to Tokyo for some performances as guest violinist in the philharmonic.  
She never understood why they were still together, being so different. Daiki was a stubborn traditionalist with a tiny mind and Natsuki was this independent free spirit. Michiru couldn't believe her parents being married was just love. She didn't believe love was an unstoppable force, capable of keeping these two people together.  
She didn't believe in love at all. Not when she was cursed to be who she was. Being raised in a family like hers, Michiru was the perfect example of a good girl, intelligent, elegant, polite and respectful. She was the face of the next generation of Kaiou. She would marry a man her father approved, another classic musician, probably one of Daiki's students at the university.  
Then she would have a couple of children and raise them the same way she was raised.  
But Michiru had changed the game. She wasn't her father's perfect little girl. She would write her own future.  
Even if that meant being away from the only man she knew she would have in her life. Her father was her whole world when Michiru was growing up. And now, he barely looked at her.  
Sighing, the aquamarine haired girl thought if all of her sacrifices were worthy. Her mother supported her decisions, but she wasn't around to guide her in this independent path she was building for herself. Her aunt Saeko was great, but she didn't really understand Michiru's choices.  
She had Ami, but her cousin was already too busy trying to figure a way to deal with her own choices.  
At least, at school, Michiru could let a huge part of her true self run free. Only if her father could see her, in her natural habitat. Only then Daiki would realize how happy she was.  
But, even with all that was happening with her life, Michiru didn't feel lonely, or truly alone. Because in that school Michiru had found her place, her family. And she knew she had their full support  
Of course, she would need to hide herself, at least a tiny part of who she was. But that was a small price to pay for her freedom. And her freedom tasted so damn good... She wouldn't ever do anything to jeopardize that.  
Michiru couldn't afford losing everything she had worked so hard to achieve. Not when the consolation prize was going back to that cold house, with her future already decided for her. She would thrive. And she would succeed.

****** 

The first week back to school was normal; at least what was considered normal for that kind of place. All the girls were giving their best in every class, and the teachers were used to this. Every year, around September, the first years found their own pace and got used to their demanding routine.  
And the month away, for summer vacation, was never a problem. September was a month of truth. Because now was the perfect time to find talents and real hard working girls. The Revue was really demanding, in every aspect. The future actresses needed to understand that, right at the beginning of their path. The Revue was their life, since their first day there.  
So they had to stay sharp, taking care of themselves, training and practicing. They were future Siennes, the future of the Revue rested on their shoulders. And, of course, they represented the school, so they had to behave and never forget the school rules. Even outside school grounds.  
That's why they had summer homework and a second test week was scheduled. But neither Michiru nor Haruka were worried about it.  
During her time in Hakui, in her grandma's place, she kept her schedule just the same as hers in school. Waking up at the same time as she did at the dorms and going for a run at the beach. It felt a little weird for her to be running again, she couldn't do it back in school, due to the lack of time, but now in a place that she loved so much?  
Haruka always respected her body and its limits. She knew she was just an injury away from throwing her dreams in the trash. And running was a perfect way for her to deal with any kind of stress. When she was running, she had no worries, no problems.  
She became one with the wind.  
During the two weeks she spent at her grandma's, Haruka did everything by the book. She had her study time, dance practice time, singing time and of course, best friend and grandma time. Neither Mamoru nor Ayako would forgive her if she forgot about them.  
And Ayako did her best to take her granddaughter's mind off her work every now and then. After all, she deserved some rest.  
Back in school, Haruka felt ready for anything. Nothing could stop her now. She had the second best grades in her class. If she wanted to be number one someday, the girl knew she had to apply herself, even more. And Haruka had this feeling her second year would be easier. She would be able to cut her hair and start her training to be an otokoyaku, since her stage gender would be assigned to her at the end of her first year.  
And Haruka knew for sure she would become an otokoyaku. Tall, slender and with a naturally deep voice, it just seemed impossible for her not become a 'male' on stage.  
Just like she knew Michiru would be a musumeyaku. Delicate like a flower, her years practicing Japanese traditional dance had helped building an elegant figure. And Haruka saw Michiru as a beautiful girl, with her aquamarine hair always carefully braided and her deep blue eyes so confident.  
Michiru always had this sad look on her face, she was always so demanding with herself, always so angry with the tiniest mistake she made. And Haruka had this need to show Michiru she wasn't a talentless glob like she used to believe she was.  
If Michiru saw herself the same way Haruka did, she would never second guess herself in her life.

******

Ballet was Haruka's favorite class. She couldn't remember a time when her life wasn't mixed with ballet. Since she was a child, so young, so eager to learn, she loved her lessons.  
And how she felt about ballet reflected in her dancing. Being one of the most experienced dancers in the first years, Haruka shone in her black leotard.  
And Michiru couldn't take her eyes off her. Mesmerized by the way her body moved; watching Haruka dance was the only thing Michiru allowed herself to do. Watching her wasn't about her crush. It was about admiring a talent.  
Admiring her freedom. The same freedom Michiru was fighting so hard for. And fighting even harder to enjoy it.  
"She's beautiful, isn’t she?" Someone asked Michiru. She took a few minutes to get out of the trance Haruka’s moves had put her on, to recognize the owner of the voice. Takako was one of the few friends Michiru had at school, thanks to the fundraising. And they had bonded over the first test week back in July.  
"Tenou-san is truly the best dancer our class has," the girl said, her arms crossed in front of her body, without taking her eyes of the blonde girl, who was currently presenting a ballet routine their teacher asked.  
Michiru smirked. To the rest of their class, Haruka was Tenou-san. No one called her by her first name. And since they were still thinking about nicknames and stage names, Haruka was still just her prince. Her knight in shining armor. Or in a simple black leotard…  
To Michiru, Haruka was more than just Tenou-san. She was confident, admirable, focused and so damn talented. The true spirit of the Revue. To Michiru, Haruka was more than just a classmate.  
Haruka could be a close friend, if Michiru allowed herself to open her heart and let the other girl in. If a month away didn't kill her crush, maybe becoming her friend, her sister, would do the job.  
But trying to kill a crush was so ridiculously hard when Haruka was just too perfect to be true.  
Haruka was indeed one of the best dancers the first year had. She had perfect control of her movements, and she could easily and so quickly learn any choreography. That's why she was the one who taught ballet in her study group. Under her tutelage, Michiru saw her own skills getting so much better. Mayuko was a great teacher, after all, her crash course had helped her get into this school. But Haruka had a passion that was impossible to describe. Maybe Michiru would find hers soon.  
At least, she was hoping that.

******

"So, are we going to the music room after class?" Kaoru, another member of their clique asked, looking up at Haruka, their informal leader. "Our modern dance test is already on Monday," she voiced her concern.  
"Yes, of course. I already reserved the smaller one, next to the stairs for us," Haruka explained while they waited for Michiru and Takao. Some honkasei girls had asked to talk to them privately. And since no one could talk to a honkasei unless they talked first, Haruka and Kaoru were just waiting.  
"I know this is silly, but are you nervous about the test week?" Kaoru asked, her voice low as usual. They were used to whispering by now.  
"Not really." The blonde girl was checking the notice board, seeing flyers for upcoming shows at the theaters and rehearsal timetables. She made a mental note to find sometime after the tests to invite Michiru to see a play at the Bow Hall, a small theater adjacent to the Grand Theater, normally used for more experimental plays. Since they got back to school, she could feel her friend quieter. They weren't close like her and Mamoru, but Haruka wanted to know her better. Not just as a classmate.  
Maybe it was her otokoyaku persona, already showing itself. Or just her inner curiosity. Michiru was always too reserved, too polite, too quiet… Haruka knew they had a good chance of ending in different Troupes after finishing school, so it seemed a good idea to make some good friends now. 

******

Michiru and Takao walked quietly, next to the wall, looking at the floor, like they were supposed to do as first years. The school day was over for most of the students, but they had decided to start studying for their tests, a couple of weeks away, in the beginning of October.  
Haruka had decided to start this really early so they could see if summer vacation had affected them. The blonde girl wasn't worried; she had followed her schedule, staying sharp as ever. She was a little worried about Michiru, though. Knowing a little about her issues, Haruka feared for her friend. She was almost certain that, if Michiru thought she was worse than before, she would push herself even harder and risk an injury.  
And Haruka couldn't let that happen. They were wearing their white/silver tracksuit, the same one they used for pilates and gym. It was the only outfit they had which had the school logo embroiled above their heart. Haruka loved her great uniform, but being able to carry the school name in her chest made her even prouder to be there.  
Like they did before, each one of the students would be responsible for a test, taking advantage of their expertise. Since they were already warmed up from their ballet class, Haruka opted for a light exercise, not wanting to overdo it.  
Michiru liked ballet. She wasn't great, but her years as a Japanese dancer helped her with the grace needed for such a delicate style. She was working in an exercise Haruka had showed them, but she couldn't keep her balance after a spin. She almost fell twice before Haruka went to her rescue.  
With her hands on Michiru's waist, Haruka helped her spin, working on her balance.  
"You need to work with gravity. Don't fight her," Haruka said, a low whisper just for her.  
Haruka's singing was her weakest skill, but Michiru really liked her voice. Even being just a teenager, she could tell how Haruka would sound in the future. A husky tone, not quite able to low notes. Her singing voice wasn´t bad and Haruka was slowly improving. Michiru knew that girl had a bright future ahead off her, because she was so hard working… Almost made her feel bad for all her issues and doubts. Every time she looked at Haruka, she saw this amazing girl, following her dream, fighting so hard to show to their teachers what she could do. Not what she had learned before coming to school, but what she learned from them. She always was listening closely to their advices, always practicing and training her body and mind.  
Even now, Haruka was so focused in showing her how she should do a spin and the only thing Michiru could think of was how warm her hands, those graceful hands, with those long fingers so perfect to play the piano, felt against her waist. How soft and tender was her touch, how she could feel Haruka´s body slightly pressed against hers.  
For the first time, in almost 16 years, Michiru felt something that she couldn´t quite name… She was always so in control of her own emotions, of her feelings… But when she was near Haruka, her rational self just ceased to exist.  
And she felt lust. Her body was responding to Haruka´s touch, her skin shivering. Even knowing she just couldn´t do that.  
Dear lord… what she was supposed to do now?

 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> read and review, plz


	8. October

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for being away for so long, but life became a mess. Thanks again to my incredible beta, Alex Monopoly Girl.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don´t own anything. Not Sailor Moon, not Takarazuka and anything related.

Chapter 8

The second test week was easier than the first. At least for Haruka, Michiru and their study group. A few girls, including Haruka's roommate, had some struggles, but most of the class got decent grades.

But none of their tests would help them now. The first years would have their first presentation in public. They would perform as a chorus at the city hall, at the end of the month.

Their voices were an important instrument. Even now that they had microphones. They were taught how to talk and sing without any technological help. Like all the Siennes before them. So chorus was actually one of the most important classes they had.

Haruka was ridiculously excited for the presentation, unlike her classmates. She was one of the best students in her class, since she had some great grades in both her test weeks. Even at singing. Haruka was almost 16, so her voice was still changing. She expected it to settle when her otokoyaku training started. So this way she could focus in maintaining a low tone for basically the rest of her life.

Haruka loved the Revue. Being a part of this, going to this school, training to be on stage someday was her dream coming true. And she was willing to dedicate her whole life to be a performer, a Sienne.

The Revue was her passion since she was a child. When she decided to join, Haruka knew she had to sacrifice her personal life. Siennes weren't allowed to get married during their contracts with the Revue. Not that Haruka wanted to get married someday. She never even thought about that, never really seeing the point to spend any minute in her busy life to think about it.

The only man she had any contact, besides her father and brothers was Mamoru. And Mamoru was her best friend, she only saw him like a brother. And Haruka knew he saw her the same way.

Her life was only about the Revue. And she couldn't imagine giving up her dream to be there. For anything in this world.

*****

Michiru was having lunch quietly. Lunch for her meant something almost sacred. It was one of the few free times she had, so she just ate. No studying, nothing. She didn't even think about her morning classes or how her afternoon would be. It was just her and her inner thoughts.

"Excuse me, princess, is this seat taken?"

The aquamarine girl looked up, seeing Haruka looking back at her, a boyish grin on her beautiful face and food tray on her hands. Michiru felt her heart skip a beat. Suddenly she felt hot, like her body was feverish. And she remembered how warm Haruka's touch was.

"Of course not, Tenou-san."

Haruka sat by Michiru's side, she was indeed hungry. The food from the school cafeteria wasn't bad, and after eating it every day, the taller girl was already used to.

"You don't have to call me that when we're alone," Haruka started, feeling a little upset with her last name on her friend's lips. Like it was something wrong. Michiru wasn't Kaiou-san anymore. She was just Michi. Or princess, when Haruka felt like pulling her leg.

"We're hardly alone, Tenou-san." The other girl focused her gaze at her food, a bowl of rice, salad and fried fish. "There are almost 100 people around us, including our teachers..."

Haruka kept glaring at Michiru. She was acting weird since before their second evaluation. Almost like she was avoiding her. She was always by herself, leaving right after class, sometimes not even bothering to say goodbye.

"Michi? Is everything okay?" Just when Haruka thought she and Michiru were getting closer, the other girl put distance between them, becoming unavailable, unreachable. "Is your family giving you a hard time?"

Michiru looked at Haruka's dark green eyes, surprised by her words. Haruka was the only one who knew, at least a little, about her home situation. It felt weird and wrong to talk about that in school grounds.

"No, everything is fine."

"Are you sure?"

Again, Michiru looked at Haruka. At this amazing and selfless girl, who was just worried about her. Worried about her furious father. Worried about her absent mother. Even not really knowing all the details. And Michiru was just thinking about how would be kissing her, how her lips would taste against hers. If her lips were warm and soft like she thought they were. Because she already knew how her body felt.

Michiru didn't deserve Haruka as a friend. Not when she was having so many impure thoughts about the other girl. That was why Michiru had been so distant lately. She couldn't let whatever was happening to her ruin everything.

Michiru didn't have time to invest in a relationship. And she didn't even want one. She had a lot of plans for the future but being with someone wasn't one of them. One of the reasons for her to join the Revue was the fact that Siennes were forbidden to get married until their graduation.

And in her case, the best for her was to become an old maiden. Knowing his daughter was gay would probably kill Daiki.

"Yes, I am sure." The former violinist just wanted this feeling to go away. She wanted to enjoy her school life without her hormones driving her crazy.

"Oh, are you going to the premiere of Araki-san's play?" Haruka was dying to ask her that, but since Michiru was running away from her, she couldn't do it until now. "You remember Araki-san, right? She performed for us during our entrance exam."

"I overheard some honkasei talking about it, actually," Michiru clarified, remembering the first time she met the Sienne. Araki Sei was a rising star at Hoshigumi, with her polite manners, sultry voice and height. Being one of the tallest otokoyakus, Sei was starting to make a name for herself just a couple of years after finishing school. Being a talented actress and a skilled dancer, the play at Bow Hall was her first time in a lead role.

Haruka admired Sei since she first saw her at her entrance exam. Maybe it was the fact that Sei was the first real Sienne she met in person. She was the kind of otokoyaku Haruka wanted to be. Even being a 'third year seito', a Sienne with three years of work at the Revue, Sei was already gathering fans everywhere. Talented, polite and so graceful, she had a peaceful personality. Her dark green hair, garnet eyes and tanned skin also helped, giving her an almost exotic appearance.

The few times Sei and Haruka met, the older woman was so helpful. Like an older sister, caring and attentive. She always gave Haruka practical tips on how to act, or how to make her tap dance better. She even taught her a pretty useful trick, about how to take care of her voice after a stressful week.

"So are you coming? The honkasei have other things to worry, remember?" They had heard stories about how cruel some honkasei could be, taking advantage of the school hierarchy to make the first years' lives a living hell. Luckily, both of them didn't meet any girl who did anything terrible. They were strict, like everything else at that school, but nothing that they couldn't handle.

Michiru looked at Haruka, a little confused.

"They have their culture festival coming up," the blonde girl said.

"And we have our chorus presentation. Or did you forget?"

Haruka gave Michiru a smile so big, so genuinely happy.

"Of course not! I can't wait to do our performance!"

Michiru chuckled. Haruka always had this childish excitement. She was always worked up about everything even remotely related to the Revue. But she couldn't blame her. It was refreshing to see someone like this. And a little scary. The world would chew Haruka and swallow her. And Michiru couldn't help but fear for her friend.

She signed, listening to Haruka comment her thoughts about their first public performance as students. Of course Haruka was adorable. And she hoped this crush would die eventually. Soon she wouldn't even remember not feeling like this, having all these naughty thoughts.

Michiru just had to concentrate on her studies. She would be okay of she did that.

******

As the senior class was getting ready for their upcoming festival, the freshmen were practicing for their chorus performance. They would be needed at the festival too, since the student body was small, the seniors needed every spare hand they could have. And the festival was their last amateur performance. After this, they would start rehearsing for their hatsubutai, their debut on a real Takarazuka stage. The hatsubutai usually happened every April and of course, it was the most important event for the music school students.

After the hatsubutai, they would sign their 7 year contract and find out which Troupe they would be assigned to. Usually, it was a short presentation, but since it was their debut, it needed to be perfect. After all, nothing but perfection was expected from those girls.

Michiru was looking at the music sheet, mumbling the lyrics. She had learned how to read music sheets even before learning how to read. It was easier, comfortable. At least one thing she could rely on at school.

The girl thought she was completely adapted to this demanding routine already. But her nerves were trying to get the best of her. She was doing great in her classes. After the first test week, she proved to her teachers she was pretty serious about her education. Her second test week results confirmed that, Michiru was one of the 10 best students in the yonkasei class. She was satisfied with herself. Being a musician, she took her sweet time making her body understand her new reality.

Her new reality as a dancer and singer. As an actress, a future Sienne. Michiru didn't think she was talented, at least not in the same degree as Haruka. But she could always try to be the best she could.

Even if that meant studying for hours after getting home. Even if that meant losing precious time with her cousin, they still had their dinners, right? Ami would understand.

After all, Ami was a Kaiou too. She understood what giving everything up meant.

*****

It was an unusually warm Saturday morning when the freshmen class got into city hall. Wearing their gray uniform, complete with their red bowtie, the girls were waiting in silence to be called on stage. The city knew how important the Revue was not just for the country, but to Takarazuka itself. Before, it was a small village, destined to disappear when Osaka or Kobe grew out of proportion. But the Revue gave to that city a reason to stay strong and survive. And now, 100 years later, everyone in Japan knew them. Worldly renowned, the Revue and its actresses were a national treasure.

It was supposed to be an easy performance. The yonkasei spent October rehearsing five songs to present to important political figures, their guests and a few lucky people who were able to get a ticket.

Oosaka Naru was one of them. She came alone this time, differently from the fundraising event she attended a few months ago. Now it was personal for her.

Just like her mother had said, she had found her Sienne. Mayumi was a little surprised when Naru told her about her experience during the event and how she met the future Sienne she would like to follow. From her experience, it was unusual to choose such a young actress, who was still in school. But since Naru would have to wait until her Sienne entered her fifth year in the company to have a fan club, she had time to see if this girl would make it in the competitive world she lived in.

It was the first time Naru went to a performance by herself. Normally she was with her friends, or even her mother. The girl found out about the yonkasei chorus performance in the official website, a couple weeks ago and she couldn't stop thinking about it. Since she saw that tall blonde girl playing the piano and then when she got to talk to her, Naru couldn't care if the girl was a freshmen or not.

That girl would be great. Naru could feel it.

******

One by one the girls started to fill the make shift stage, the smallest first and the tallest for last. With their hair perfectly braided, all them looked way to serious for teenagers.

Michiru saw herself surrounded by people she really didn't know. Their teacher had arranged them by height and although she wasn't short enough to be with Takako and Kaoru in the front, she wasn't tall enough to be with Haruka in the back.

Even with all her progress, Michiru felt so alone among the girls she barely knew. Of course she knew after she was assigned to a Troupe, it would be almost impossible to work with just people she knew, at least not in a first moment.

But she was still a teenage girl. An insecure, scared and a little too perfectionist teenage girl.

She kept her game face on. This was just the second step in her journey, the first one being when she got into this school. She could do it. She would do it.

With a deep breath, Michiru went to her happy place. That technique always worked when she was about to play her violin in public, it would help her now. Otherwise, she would fail miserably as an actress.

And she couldn´t let that happen.

*****

Watching a Takarazuka performance was like going to a fantastic place. Naru was used to that. It was her first time watching a chorus act by a freshmen class, though. She was excited, truly happy to be there. Knowing that some of those girls would be great actresses someday made her proud of being there.

Her mother was proud of Naru being there, as well. Being a longtime fan, Mayumi knew the effect the Revue had on people. And she knew Naru needed this. She needed to take her mind off her life, being a college student and working at the family store. And of course, Mayumi was just happy to have her only daughter starting her life as a fan.

Naru never thought she would be there, watching those girls on stage, singing in perfect harmony. For most of those girls, that was their first public performance ever. And yet, they were smiling, singing with such fierce discipline. It was indeed something really beautiful to watch.

From her spot, Naru could see a couple of familiar faces. Like those students she saw after the fundraising event. The tall, chivalrous blonde was in the last line, and the delicate aquamarine haired one was right in the middle. Naru couldn't recognize their voices among the others, but she was amazed by everything. She knew those students were first years. She knew they had started school just a few months ago.

Takarazuka music school was indeed a great place to learn how to be amazing.

In the end, Naru realized her mother was right. This was where she was supposed to be. In the audience, watching magic being made. In a few months, those teenagers would be professional actresses. Most of them were younger than Naru. If they could be that dedicated to their future, to their craft, Naru could do it too. The auburn haired girl could do anything she wanted if she applied herself enough.

Maybe that was what her mother was trying to tell her all her life. Finally, she was starting to understand.

**********

A few days later, the excitement of their first performance was still running in Haruka's veins. She was so enthusiastic, even more than before. And that reflected in her dance, singing and acting. It was like she was more focused than usual. Always paying double attention to her teachers, practicing in her dorm room.

She was determined to end the first school term as one of the best students in her class. Her grades were already impressive, but if she wanted to be Top one day, Haruka knew she had to be better.

So, even during her cleaning routine she was thinking about dance movements, song lyrics and acting exercises. This was her life, she had a goal and she would do anything in her power to achieve it.

When the freshmen were told they would perform another chorus act during the Cultural Festival, it was so hard to hide her happiness.

Unlike Haruka, Michiru finally relaxed after their first presentation. She knew they did a good job, even for their impossibly high standards. Of course, there's always ways to improve. But she didn't take that in a bad way. Months ago, she would be depressed about that. But now? She learned to enjoy small victories.

They started practicing for their chorus act in a raining Wednesday. It was early November, so the weather was starting to get chilly. Since she came from Nagano, Haruka was used to the cold. And Michiru grew up a few minutes away, so the cold didn't really bother her.

But the cold weather could be harmful for their voices. And to their bodies. So they had to be extra careful. Haruka was pushing her limits, she knew that… But how would she be better, be the best if she didn´t forced herself to just be the best? Her rational mind knew she was doing something almost dangerous, but she couldn´t care. It wasn´t a big deal, just some extra practice. It wasn't like she never did that… Before coming to this school, she had to learn new techniques, new dance styles and she was fine. Because Haruka knew this was for a greater good. So now, she wouldn´t really worry.

It was for a good even bigger than before. It was her whole future.

In her class, there were a lot of good girls, really talented and amazing. Anyone of them could become Top one day. And after seeing them performing together for the first time, Haruka felt so insecure. She knew all these girls, she practiced with them, ate with them, danced with them. But after that chorus act, she had realized how hard the competition really was…

And she felt a little stupid, especially at night, when she was too tired and sore to even breathe. But it wasn´t something she could help. When Haruka was younger, she had a dream. Now she had an objective.

During ballet class, 34 young women were doing their exercises in silence, as usual. Under the stern look of their teacher, the girls moved in synchrony. The first year teachers thought this class was one of the best they ever had, almost every student were so committed to their work and most of them already had an artistic background.

"Tenou-san?" Michiru whispered to Haruka, noticing the blonde girl stopping. Her worried tone was audible in her voice. "Are you okay?"

Haruka winced, feeling her leg muscle cramping. A few students were looking at her, at her pained expression and she felt like an idiot. A childish idiot.

"Yeah, I´m fine… Just cramps, nothing else…" She felt even worse when her teacher, a round woman with thick framed glasses who seemed incapable of smiling, came to check on her

"What´s wrong?" The woman asked, seeing two of her most talented leaving formation.

"It´s nothing, sensei, just a muscle cramp. It´s getting cold…" Haruka tried to explain, not to her teacher or to Michiru, but to herself. It was nothing. She was fine…

"I´ll get you some water…" the aquamarine girl tried to ran to her bag, left in the wall next to the mirror, but she couldn't leave Haruka all alone under the glare of their classmates. Haruka was always careful and so experienced… If she was starting to feel the pain of their strict routine, Michiru didn´t have any chance to survive this school.

Helping her friend, Michiru lead them to their bags, and Haruka sat on the floor, taking a long sip of her water bottle. She watched, feeling so guilty when Michiru started to gently massage her calf.

"You don´t have to do that…" Haruka said, feeling uncomfortable… She had risked a serious injury, risked her own future just because she got a little irrational over her own abilities.

"Shut up, Haruka… This isn´t even a minor setback. You remember what you said to us? Back in our first test week?" Michiru was focused on her task. Her long and slightly calloused fingers were working nicely on Haruka´s sore muscle. "You said to us that we can´t go further than our body let us. We may try, but it will kick us in our behinds…" She smiled. "You can´t force yourself to go beyond your limit. Now tell me why you´re doing something so stupid."

"The chorus act… I think it got to me more than I thought…." The blonde girl took a deep breath, feeling the pain going away.

"Don´t be silly, Haruka. You know you´re better than everyone here. Just remember that every time you think about doing something like this again, ok?"

Smiling, Haruka understood how irresponsible she was acting.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me."

Michiru looked at her, her expression so serene. It was her turn to calm this beautiful girl´s heart. And she was glad that she could do that.

"Even the prince needs to be rescued every now and then."

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red and Review please


	9. December

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TODAY IS HARUKA´S BIRTHDAY!!!! After watching the stream, where we found out about her new voice (for Sailor Moon Crystal) i felt like had to post this chapter. It´s a pretty important one and the longest so far. Hope you all enjoy it. Don´t forget to send a review :D  
> Disclaimer: I don´t own anything. Not Sailor Moon, not Takarazuka and anything related.

Chapter 9

A few weeks after the Autumn Concert, December came and the senior class was starting to get ready for their graduation. Of course everyone knew graduation didn't mean the end for them, but just another step in their journey to shine on stage.  
The yonkasei were getting excited about the idea they would be seniors in March. It was like their first year had passed by like lightning. At least for Haruka. She couldn't believe the end of the year was coming.  
After the concert, and her minor incident at ballet class, the blonde girl was feeling like herself again. She was sleeping fine, eating all her meals with gusto and doing her exercises to take care of her sore body after a rough day of class. She still felt a little stupid for what had happened, but at the same time, she was glad. Glad that now she had at least an idea of what she was truly facing.  
Growing up with her grandma, just as a spectator didn't prepare her for the fierce competition the school was. Not just the school, but she now had an idea of how she had to improve as a person to become, at least, a decent Sienne.  
And if she wanted to be Top Star someday, she would have to learn how to control her nerves. To let them get the best of her almost ruined everything. But, thanks to Michiru, Haruka felt a lot better. More put together.  
After their presentation, Michiru made sure Haruka was feeling better and centered. The aquamarine haired girl knew how much the Revue meant to her friend. And she worried about her, Haruka was her rock, her safe place, she felt like she could do anything, everything with the blonde by her side.  
Haruka knew that. She knew Michiru relied on her to help her going through school. But, deep down, Haruka couldn't help but feel like she had failed her friend.  
December would be a quiet cold month. A short month, since the students and faculty would enjoy 10 days of winter break, to celebrate New Year’s. So Haruka would take that time to rest a lot and prepare for her final moments as a freshman.  
During lunch, basically the only time during their busy schedule they could talk more freely, Haruka, Michiru and their friends were discussing their plans for their short vacation. Haruka was a little quieter than usual, focused on her fried salad. As usual, Michiru noticed her friend's behavior. She was slowly overcoming her crush, concentrated in becoming Haruka's friend, especially because anything else wouldn't ever happen. Not in this lifetime.  
So the aquamarine haired girl decided to do what she did best: hide her true feelings, never talking about it, never letting out to breathe. Michiru never felt like she was wrong for being gay. She just felt wrong to have these feelings for Haruka. So eyes on the prize, it was for her. If letting it die by itself wasn't going anywhere, she would kill it with kindness.  
"What's wrong? You seem a little blue," Michiru asked softly, not wanting to interrupt Takako and her tale of going home in Nara for the holidays.  
Haruka looked at her friend. Michiru was proving to be someone Haruka could count on. Why she couldn't be her roommate? The school was already hard enough with her allies, but everyone left her at the end of the day. Damn, she was indeed feeling blue.  
"I decided to not go home for winter break," Haruka told her, her voice no higher than a whisper. She felt alone. At this time, she would be helping her mother with New Year’s cleaning, finding her brothers good Christmas presents and getting ready to go to her grandma’s. Before coming to TMS, life used to be so simple...  
The girls stopped talking, finally noticing their informal leader's tone. Haruka was always so energetic and passionate about everything. The blonde girl rested her chopsticks on her rice bowl and sighed.  
"It’s not worth it. Nagano is too far, almost 6 hours away. I wouldn't be able to rest at all." After what happened, she was welcoming those days off. "It’s too much work and my house is always so busy at New Year’s..."  
Takako put her hand on Haruka's shoulder, trying to being supportive.  
"I'm sorry to hear that, Tenou-san," she said.  
"Maybe you can fly home or something," Kaoru tried, knowing how important family was to Haruka. She also came from a lovely household. Her parents were really supportive and her younger sister was also practicing to come to the Music School next spring. "Dad's planning to take us to visit his family back in Nagoya. He's so excited about it I didn't have the heart to tell him I don't like flying..."  
"Nah, too stressful traveling during the holidays. We don't have enough days to just chill at home." Haruka appreciated her friends trying to cheer her up.  
"Or you can just come to spend the holidays with me," Michiru said, feeling a little self-conscious with all the looks she got from her friends.  
"Wait, what? You mean going to Osaka?" Haruka couldn't really believe she had a better destination for her days off than staying in her dorm. "Your parents won't mind?"  
"Not really. Father was invited by Tokyo Philharmonic to play and since mother is going to be play at the same concert, they will stay in the city for the holidays," she clarified. That was probably the most she told their little group about her family.  
"So... You will be all alone?" Haruka felt a pang in her heart, not being able to imagine how someone could just leave Michiru behind. She was one of the greatest people she ever knew and she deserved so much more.  
"If you say yes, I won't." Michiru could feel Haruka was hesitant. With a smile of her beautiful lips, she tried to calm her mind... She was just trying to help her friend. Nothing else.  
So, why she felt like her heart was about to rip her chest apart?

*******  
Haruka stood in front of the Kaiou Conservatory, completely flabbergasted. She knew Michiru's family ran a music school, but she didn't have any idea of how huge the facility was.  
The front part of the main building was the only original part, from when Michiru's great great great great grandfather, Kaiou Tetsuya, started teaching a few noblemen's children how to play western instruments, while his wife was in charge of teaching the girls Japanese dance and traditional instruments.  
200 years later, Tetsuya's descendants were working hard to keep his dream alive. Kaiou mansion, where he lived with his family, was fully converted in classrooms. The second building was raised after the war, but it was just a storage facility. Not until Michiru's grandfather, Takuto, who decided to use that space, to accommodate the ever growing conservatory, into more classrooms, a couple of dance studios to rent and an amphitheater, for the students’ performances.  
Michiru and her cousin Ami were born and raised in those walls. The conservatory was their home; a place where young talents came to learn to perfect their gifts. Like the Revue itself, but in a much smaller scale.  
Walking by that building reminded Michiru about everything she gave up. About how angry her father was. About how he ignored her and made her feel invisible. She hasn't put her foot in the conservatory since she started school. And she wasn't planning to change that.  
"Is this your house? I never saw a place like this in my life!" The perfect mix between old and new were nothing Haruka was used to.  
Michiru chuckled.  
"No, I live in an apartment not far from here. This is just Kaiou Conservatory, my family's music school," she said, continuing to walk.  
"I still can't believe you have your own music school." Haruka smiled at her own pun. Just being there was making her feel a little less depressed.  
"My family does, not me."  
Haruka noticed the almost angry hint in Michiru's voice, but decided to drop it. Michiru was always so polite, educated. She had the manners of a true lady, knowing how to present herself to society. Being raised in a traditional family helped her in that matter. And of course, that would help her becoming the musumeyaku she wanted to be.  
And Haruka was just a tomboy who wanted to be a prince. How two girls this different could be great friends was beyond her. Or maybe not.  
It was destiny.

*******  
Haruka was raised in a comfortable apartment near the hospital her father worked practically his whole professional life. She had a room for herself, since she was the only girl. But Michiru's place was nothing like she imagined. Her apartment was located in Kita-ku, in the north ward of the city, just a few blocks away from the Conservatory.  
The place was huge, and Haruka noticed the lack of furniture in the living room. Just a white leather couch, a few chairs and a bookcase, full of neatly arranged books. Some paintings and plants decorated the room and the blonde couldn't help but think how cold that place was.  
"Please, make yourself at home," Michiru said, taking her heavy coat and hat off. Haruka tried to give her a smile, but she was genuinely sad for Michiru. How she could make herself at home if this place didn't feel like home?  
How could anyone live like this?  
She followed her friend and also took off her car and hat. She had brought a duffel bag, with clothes, leotards and her dance shoes. And of course her books for studying. It would be nice to have someone to do homework together during the holidays. The last one was Mamoru, back in junior high and she missed that.  
"Here, let me show you my room."  
Michiru lead her friend to a room in the end of the hallway. The bedroom was just like the rest of the house, beautiful decorated, but lacking warm and life. But Haruka smiled, realizing that it was Michiru's room. A few music sheets with TMS logo on it were neatly arranged on a support, her violin case rested on her bed, open. Like meeting an old friend, Haruka looked over the violin inside the case. She just saw Michiru playing once and she already admired her talent.  
For what she knew, Michiru was like her, someone who had a musical gift, but decided to pursue another path. Haruka loved playing piano, but nothing was a match for her dream of becoming a Sienne.  
A bed, a bookcase and a desk were the only furniture in the room. Haruka noticed photos and drawings all over the desk. Most of the photos had Michiru, a blue haired girl, slightly younger and an older woman. They looked so happy on them.  
Some pictures, more sober, had Michiru with a couple, her parents probably.  
"Do you want to take a bath now or do you want to wait until after dinner?" Michiru let Haruka wander in her room; she would be living there for the next days, so it seemed a good idea to let her get familiar with her new surroundings.  
"If you don't mind, I would like to take one after dinner. But I hope you know how to cook, because I can burn water," the blonde said, almost proud of her lack of skills in the kitchen.  
"Oh, don't worry. We will go to my aunt’s for meals." The former violinist closed the case and put it in her closet. "Are you hungry?” she looked at her balcony, one of the few luxuries she had demanded. Since it was Saturday, they had a half day at school. So they would have a few hours to kill before heading to Saeko's.  
"Oh no, I'm cool, thanks." The home had a weird atmosphere, and that made Haruka feel a little uncomfortable. The two girls stood there, in an awkward silence. Haruka wasn't used to go to her school friends' houses. Just Mamoru, basically because he lived next door.  
After a few silent and awkward moments, Michiru realized she was being a bad host. She had invited Haruka in an impulse, but she didn't regret it. Her friend needed her; she couldn't let her alone at school.  
"Sorry, I'm not used to have people over." Michiru decided to be honest.  
"Not even people from junior school?"  
"Not really. It’s barely one year since I came back to Japan, and I went right to practice, so no time to meet anyone." She sat on her bed, her hand neatly posed in her lap.  
"What do you mean by that?" Haruka shyly sat at the end of the bed, feeling weirdly self-conscious.  
"I lived in United states for a few years. My parents had jobs in New York." Michiru answered, in a nonchalant way. Her years living in New York weren't that great and she never really talked about it. It was just something that happened in her life. Nothing else.  
"Really? That's so amazing!" Suddenly, Haruka wasn't feeling weird or out of her place. "Mom is an English teacher and she's crazy about the US."  
"There's not too great about US. New York is a beautiful city, but I don't know. Never felt like that was my place. I just couldn't fit."  
Michiru lowered her eyes, not really wanting to meet Haruka's.  
"When I was younger, my last name opened a lot of doors for me. I was just 12, but that didn't prevent me to be in charge of the school orchestra, or of being class representative." She sighed. "When I moved to New York, I had to work even harder to catch up, and the language was a barrier.”  
Putting her hand over Michiru's, Haruka tried to comfort her friend. She could only imagine how hard it was for the other girl.  
Feeling the warmth of Haruka’s hand, Michiru let out a sad smile. How could she let herself be so vulnerable in front of Haruka? If she was trying to suffocate something inside her, this wouldn’t do her any good.  
"I'm glad you're back in Japan, Michi," Haruka told her, a smile on her boyish face. "‘Cause if you had stayed in New York, we wouldn't ever meet."  
Michiru looked so intensely into her friend's green eyes; she could see herself in those deep emeralds.  
Why Haruka was making this almost impossible for her? Why she had to be so thoughtful, and say the right words?  
"Let's go change and we can go to my aunt's." Desperate to change the subject, Michiru suggested it. She untied her red bowtie and stood up. "Thanks, Haru. I kind of needed that." She finished, her voice shy.  
Haruka looked at her, and chuckled.  
"The prince always saves the princess. Or gives them a shoulder to cry. It’s our duty." 

**************  
Haruka packed light when she moved to the Sumire Hall. Since she spent most of her days in her uniforms, provided by the school, she didn’t really feel the need to bring her whole wardrobe. So, for her short stay at Michiru´s, she got her two pairs of jeans, a couple of shirts, her heavy coat and a scarf. When she told her parents she wouldn’t be going back home for the holidays, her mother sent her a kimono, so this way Haruka could wear it for New Years, like she did at home.  
Her family wasn´t too traditionalist, but Ayako made sure they kept some of their old habits. Like New Year’s celebration. Every year, the Tenou family got together and did the cleaning of their houses and the family clinic. Rina was a little upset for not having her only daughter home, but Hideo had a good talk with his wife, to make her understand why Haruka wasn´t there. It was hard for him too, not having his baby girl home, but she had a point. When she called them, telling the news, he was worried, thinking she would be alone.  
But Haruka tried to calm her father's heart telling him about Michiru's invitation. And Hideo didn't want to admit the painful truth.  
His children were growing up.  
First, Haruka moved out, then Hideyuki and Hiroaki started college. Now his baby girl wouldn't be coming home for New Years. Soon they would be busy enough, with work or their own families to spend a holiday with their old parents...  
He felt silly with that thought. For a smart man, Hideo could be really dense now and then.  
So he smiled, told his daughter to call first thing in the New Year and wished her a great time in Osaka. Because Haruka was his strong girl. And he was so proud of her...

*******  
In completely silence, the girls left the building where Michiru lived, to go to her aunt's place for dinner. The weather was getting worse, but the sky was still really beautiful. So clear, not one cloud in the vast blue.  
Dressed with her heavy winter coat, Haruka looked at the sky and a gentle smile adorned her face. In Hakui, she used to lie down in her grandmother's backyard and count the stars.  
She loved the night sky. Since she was a little girl. And her grandmother's backyard was the perfect place for that. During the summer, she lost count of how many hours she spent looking at the shiny dots. And Haruka always thought she would become a star someday.  
She chuckled. When she was a child, life was so much easier... Her younger self didn't have any idea how hard and frustrating the path she chose was. The long hours spent practicing... It was an exhausting life.  
But she wouldn't trade it for anything. Because that was where she was supposed to be. And she was so grateful for that. Haruka wasn't a religious kind of girl, but she felt like she had someone looking after her. Helping her in times of need. Sending her amazing friends, to support her and just be there for her.  
Sending Michiru.  
Haruka looked up and saw the other girl looking back at her. Since it was getting cold, Michiru was wearing a dark teal pea coat and a white scarf. Her delicate musician hands were protected by black leather gloves. And a cute wool hat completed her outfit.  
"I hope you don't mind spending time with my family…" Michiru said, in her quiet voice.  
"Oh, not at all. To be truly honest, I’m really curious to know your aunt, she must have all these stories about the Revue, right?" Haruka was used to cold weather, so she was wearing boots, a dark pair of pants, a simple dark green t-shirt, gloves and her heavy coat. She felt weird wearing regular clothes after spending a lot of time in her uniform. "I mean, I hope she doesn't mind sharing with me, I never had someone to talk about it, besides my grandma..."  
"Don't worry, Aunt Saeko loves to reminiscence. I always thought she should go back to the orchestra, but she says the Conservatory takes a lot of her time... " Michiru explained, while waiting to cross the street. "Maybe tomorrow, I can take you to Mayuko-san's studio. I think she won't mind if we use it for our homework."  
The last thing Michiru wanted to talk, or even mention, was school. But she knew if she didn't talk about anything else, she would just focus in the fact that she invited Haruka to spend New Year’s with her. Still an impulsive act and she shouldn't regret helping a friend. She just hoped she would be able to deal with Haruka being around for the next 10 days.  
'Oh, be strong my poor heart', she thought, trying to pay attention to what the other girl was saying. But how to concentrate if those lips seemed so inviting? Michiru never had kissed anyone in her short life. She was always so busy and always so nonchalant about people in general. Haruka was the first person who was able to gain her attention.  
And that helped her realized she was just a teenager. She was supposed to have crushes in this age, wasn’t she? To fall in love, have heartbreaks, it was something that people her age did. But Michiru wasn’t like the other teenagers. She didn't even know how a 'normal' girl her age would act.  
After a few minutes back to walking, Haruka decided to break the silence. This was the first time they were together outside school and in another city, so they could, at least for a few hours, pretend that they were just regular students, enjoying the holidays.  
"So, Osaka seems a very beautiful city," the blonde girl said, looking at the buildings and stores they passed by.  
"I guess so. I was born here, but I don't think I know this city. Never had the time." Michiru let out a tired sigh. "You must think I'm a spoiled young lady."  
Haruka could understand what Michiru was saying. For the untrained eye, the aquamarine haired girl indeed seemed a spoiled heiress. But Haruka never really saw Michiru like that. Not even when they first met.  
"Spoiled? Not really. Focused? For sure. “Haruka couldn't say she understood from where Michiru came from and how she was raised. "I think you don't give yourself too much credit, Michi," she finished, her charming boyish smirk on her face.  
Michiru felt her heart melt at the sight of that smile. Haruka wouldn’t ever know how she made Michiru feel. But that wouldn't stop her of feeling.  
At least, not now.

*******  
Ami spent her first school free morning working on her homework. She was an incredible student, with a really sharp and fast mind. Doing homework was a pleasurable task for her. At 13, Ami was starting to blossom into a fine young woman. Very intelligent, polite and gentle young woman.  
Even not being a Kaiou by name, her last name was Mizuno, after her father, Ami was still a Kaiou by heart. Her mother, Saeko, was raising her to follow her footsteps and becoming a musician. Now that Michiru had declined her family duties, it was up to Ami to fulfill everyone's expectations. At least, until the ‘rightful heir’ came to her senses and took her place in the family conservatory.  
But Ami wasn't built for that. She wasn’t a bad musician, she could play beautifully her instrument of choice, cello, and she was a skilled Japanese dancer. And, like her cousin, Ami wanted to defy family traditions and become a doctor. She couldn't see herself as a professional cellist. Music gave her a lot of pleasure, she couldn't study without lists in to her favorite songs, but that wasn't her dream.  
Of course, she had to play her part. Especially since she was still practically a child in her family's eyes. Having a different last name took some pressure away from her shoulders, but it was expected of her to perform every now and then, and her and incredible mind helped her mother a lot with financial reports and optimizing how they ran the conservatory.  
Ami had all the reasons to hate Michiru for being 'selfish'. But how could she hate someone she loved like a sister? Michiru was her best friend, one of the most amazing people Ami knew. And she was there to support her cousin/sister, doing anything in her power to help Michiru.  
Ami was still young. She still had a lot of time to make up her mind, pick up some courage and follow her dreams.  
"Ami? Are you done?" Saeko asked from the door of her daughter's room. "Michiru will be here any moment and she's bringing a friend from school."  
The blue haired girl smiled at her mother. Saeko still loved dearly anything from the Revue. She was so excited to meet Michiru's friend, especially because Michiru didn't say much about the girl. But the older woman wasn’t surprised. Michiru was quieter than usual when she started her classes at TMS. She wasn't taking lightly what happened with her father. Saeko knew how important Daiki was for his daughter. And she knew how hurt Michiru was with his rejection.  
Ami was satisfied with her work, she was almost done with homework. Sometimes, she wished for a challenge, school was starting to get easier... So she put her books and notes away. Going after her mother, the younger girl was hit by the tasty smell of dinner. Ami was used to lose herself in her books and homework, especially during the holidays. Drowning in knowledge was one of her favorite thing ever.  
"Is dad coming to have dinner with us?" Ami asked, arranging the plates and chopsticks on the table.  
"Oh no, honey, I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, but Jun will be traveling for a couple of days." Saeko was proud of her husband's accomplishment. Mizuno Jun was one of the youngest conductors at the Revue and he was really close to becoming main conductor one day. And being a former musician there, the woman understood he would be working long hours and spending a lot of time in Takarazuka. "He will perform in a Christmas dinner show, but he will be back for New Year’s."  
Ami noticed the sad tone in her mother's voice. She knew Saeko loved working at the conservatory, and she did a great job there. But she missed being just a cellist. Now she barely played, just when she was feeling frustrated, or sad. Or just really excited. And Ami didn't like that. She had chosen the cello to be her instrument because she admired Saeko. Her mother was very talented and so passionate about music...  
Maybe one day she would realize her true path was playing. Not being behind a desk, reading financial reports, and working on teachers’ schedules.  
The two Mizuno women worked in silence, Saeko tasting her seasoning and Ami tidying up the living room.  
After all, they had a visitor coming.

********  
After a few minutes walking, Michiru led Haruka to a small building a few blocks away from the conservatory. It was one of the few buildings with more the three stories in that residential neighborhood. Saeko and her family moved there because they needed an extra room for storing their instruments and Saeko decided to build a small studio there, so they could practice without disturbing their neighbors.  
"Aunt Saeko?" Michiru asked, taking hers and Haruka's coat and hanging in the closet next to the door. She gave Haruka a small smile, feeling happy to have her friend there, letting her into her inner circle. It was a big step for her.  
Saeko smiled when she saw her niece. She had been so busy the past few days; she barely had time to spend with Michiru.  
"Michiru! You look so beautiful! I take the school is treating you well."  
Michiru chuckled, knowing her aunt was just attempting to be funny. Saeko was really outgoing and she always had a smile in her face. Michiru cared deeply about her aunt, she felt closer to the older woman. Saeko wasn't just her dear aunt, she was her friend.  
"You will see so much more of me, dear aunt," she said kissing Saeko's cheek. "Since I'm off school for a few days..."  
"Great, at least the students have a time off. You must enjoy that free time, because once you graduate, and you can kiss good bye everything. I'm not saying this to scare you two, but it’s true," Saeko said looking at Haruka.  
"Oh, where are my manners, aunt Saeko, this is Tenou Haruka, she's my classmate at school." Turning to Haruka, she continued. "Haruka, this is my aunt, Mizuno Saeko."  
Haruka looked at the woman, seeing some traces she had in common with her niece. Saeko was a few centimeters shorter than Michiru and she also had aquamarine hair, in a shade darker than Michiru's. She recognized her from a few pictures at her friend's room. Saeko was in her late thirties and she was a very beautiful woman.  
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mizuno-san. I heard a lot about you." Haruka gave Saeko a boyish smile, trying to not being nervous about meeting someone like Saeko.  
"Oh dear, you're a tall one, aren't you?" The older woman had to look up to talk to the girl. She had seen a lot of Sienne in her time, and Saeko could tell this girl had a lot of charisma. And a killer smile. Killer smiles were always important. "How tall are you?"  
"I am sorry, Haruka. But as you can see, we don't have a lot of people coming over, so we're constantly asking those who dare to visit uncomfortable questions…" Michiru explained, in a playful way. Haruka smiled; glad to see her friend acting so freely. At school Michiru was always worried. Haruka was happy to see that at least at home, her friend had a good stress free environment.  
"Oh, that's fine, I don't mind answering uncomfortable questions..." Haruka said. To be honest, she was a little worried about meeting Michiru's family. "I think I'm 166 centimeters tall now..." She explained, to Saeko's surprise. Japan wasn't a very tall country, and Haruka was one of the tallest girls in her class. And since she wasn’t even 16 years old, she was still growing. The blonde girl was happy about her height, being tall would help her to become an otokoyaku.  
"That's good. And you heard of me? How come?" Saeko asked, a little surprised. She led the girls to the kitchen, where Ami was finishing setting the table.  
"Yeah, Kaiou-san told me you used to play at the orchestra," Haruka explained.  
"Haruka is a huge fan of the Revue," Michiru started. "I'm taking her tomorrow to Mayuko-san's studio, we need a place to do our homework. And I think she will like her."  
"Oh, Mayuko is great, such a talented ballerina... But I'm sorry to say this, honey, she took a few days off to visit her family. The studio is closed for the holidays."  
Michiru couldn't hide her disappointment. She was dying to show Haruka the reason she wanted to become a musumeyaku, her role model and mentor.  
"So I guess you girls will have to take your time off and have some fun. And you two can use one of our practice rooms. It’s not fancy as Mayuko's studio, but it gets the job done."  
Saeko knew Michiru was working a lot at school and because she knew how stressful the life her niece had chosen, she wanted them to enjoy their days off. Working at the orchestra, she knew a lot of Siennes and Saeko worried about Michiru. She didn't want her to push herself over her limits and risk an injury.  
Seeing Michiru's sad face, Saeko decided to change the subject.  
"Tenou-san, this is my daughter Ami." Ami stopped what she was doing to greet the other girl. "Ami will be performing for the first time in our Winter Concert."  
"Oh, that's great. What do you play?"  
Seeing that beautiful girl looking at her, with a dashing smile, Ami couldn't help but blush. She felt her cheeks warming and understood why Michiru was always talking about her friend. She had a very powerful presence.  
"I... I play the cello. It’s not that good, but I'll try my best," Ami said.  
"I'm sure you will do great. I just wish I could be here to watch it."  
Michiru felt a weird pang in her chest. She was... Jealous? Of her baby cousin? Or angry at Haruka being all flirty and charming? Either way, she didn't like feeling like this. Finally her crush was showing its bad face. But Ami was still a child. Not like they were much older... She never heard Haruka ever talk about any interests besides the Revue.  
And then, Michiru realized she didn't know much about her friend. She could use these days of to get to know her better. Becoming her true friend, find out any weird stuff about Haruka could help vanishing that awful crush.  
"Aunt Saeko, can I help you with anything?" The aquamarine haired girl said, feeling a strong need to leave the room, a bad taste in her mouth. She just felt jealousy for the first time in her short life. And she didn't like it.  
Saeko looked at her niece, Michiru wasn't a bad cook, but it was very rare for her to do anything in the kitchen. Especially after starting her classes at TMS. Saeko knew that her girls had sandwiches for dinner almost every night. Michiru offering help wasn't really weird. But the older woman couldn't help but feeling suspicious.  
"Sure, Ami already set the table, can you help me bringing the rice?" Since it was a little chilly, Saeko decided to make some oden, a winter dish with boiled eggs, starchy roots and fish cakes, stewed in a soy-flavored broth, and she also made some fried rice cakes. Her husband and daughter always had fried rice with oden, a habit he picked up as a child, back in his hometown.  
Haruka watched Michiru and Saeko leaving to the kitchen and felt a little awkward. It was weird for her to feel like this, usually she did great meeting her friends' family, but meeting the Mizuno branch of the Kaiou family, she felt a little pressured. She took a place on the couch and looked around, realizing that was indeed a home. Not just a cold place to sleep like Michiru's place. Lots of family pictures helped creating a nice environment.  
Now Haruka understood why her friend spent most of her time at her aunt's.  
" Tenou-san, do you want some tea?" Ami called her, trying to be a good host. She could still feel herself blushing and felt stupid. "We have apple with cinnamon. It's Michiru's favorite," She explained. Ami wanted to meet Haruka for so long and now she was acting like the shy schoolgirl she was. Perfect.  
"Yes, I would like some." Haruka for comfortable at the couch, watching the small girl leaving the room. Ami was an adorable girl, but just like her like her older cousin, she had this painful glitch in her eyes.  
Maybe it was a Kaiou trait. But Haruka was curious to find out why girls so young had such sad eyes...

***********  
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Michiru was silently helping her aunt. Saeko was giving her dish some final touches and she was pretty satisfied with the taste. She was usually too busy with work to come home and cook, but it was something that she really loved doing. Reminded her of the time she spent with her mother and aunts, just cooking and telling old stories about the family. Sharing experiences. It was something she tried to do with her daughter and niece, but modern life was harder than when she was a child. Everyone, including her girls, was so busy...  
"It's being awhile since we cooked together..." The older woman started, turning off the stove.  
"I hope you don't mind me bringing Haruka. She didn't have elsewhere to go..." Michiru said, still feeling a little awkward. She barely listening to what Saeko had had said to her.  
"You have the same soft heart, just like your father, you know that?" The older woman got the hot pot using her colorful mittens. "He was this weird, shy kid but with a heart of gold..." She continued, she knew her brother was acting like a real jerk towards his daughter, but Saeko wanted Michiru to understand her father wasn't an insensitive bastard like she was probably thinking.  
"Aunt Saeko..." Michiru called her attention, grabbing the plate with fried rice cakes, oh Ami would love this, and continued. "Please don’t say anything about father. I'm trying to have a good holiday at home and I can't deal with this now. "  
Saeko sighed. Her brother's rejection had hurt Michiru deeply. It was time for her to have a serious talk with him. The life Michiru chose for her was hard enough with support, Saeko couldn't imagine how Michiru was holding up all alone.  
Maybe that's why she brought home a friend from school. Saeko saw a lot of that during her years working at the conservatory, kids this age looked for comfort with their pairs, their equals.  
"OK, sorry." The older women felt ashamed for Daiki's actions. And so proud of how together her niece was, in front of everything. "And of course I don't mind, all your friends are more than welcome in this house.”

*******  
"You can take your bath now,” Haruka said, drying her hair. She couldn't wait to cut it short, but out of respect for her mother, she still kept her blonde hair long. Always in a braid, but still long. She was wearing purple pajama pants and a black t shirt, since it was almost bedtime. Michiru was getting the futon ready for her friend to sleep, in the other side of her room.  
"Oh, thank you." Michiru smiled, focused in her task, getting Haruka's bed comfortable, especially because she would be sleeping there for the next few days. "I hope it's not too lumpy, no one really used this futon in a long time," Michiru explained. She raised her eyes, happy with her own work. She looked at Haruka, at her cute sleep time outfit and felt her heart skip a beat. How Haruka could be hot and still look adorable?  
"Have you tried the beds at school? I'm not saying they’re bad, but let's just say my back is glad to have a break." The taller girl smiled and Michiru was glad to see that the awkward atmosphere during dinner was long gone. They had avoided important stuff, like family and the fact that they're both alone for the holidays. Michiru was glad that her aunt and cousin could read her even without words. She didn't want Haruka to feel bad for not being at home during this time of the year. Or feel bad for her, for being left behind.  
"I thought a lot about staying at the dorms, but I couldn't leave Ami," The aquamarine girl started, gathering her bed clothes and toiletries. "I know she's not a child anymore, but the years I spent in the US, she was all by herself. I couldn't bring myself to leave her again."  
"Ami-chan seems like a really special girl. She's lucky to have a big sister like you." Haruka sat on her futon, it was way better than any futon she ever had slept before. "OK, not lumpy. My back salutes you!" She did a little hand gesture in reverence.  
"Baka..." Michiru blushed at Haruka's action, seeing the distance between her bed and Haruka's futon. Was she strong enough to hide her feelings during these 10 days?  
Haruka laughed, feeling finally comfortable in her friend's house. She was still bummed about not going home for the holidays, but being with Michiru would help her forget this.  
"Well, I'm off to take my bath. I don't have a TV here, but if you want, you can use the one in the living room," she said, trying to be a good host.  
The smile she received from her classmate made her weak in the knees...

*******  
"Dear grandma, how are you?  
I'm so sorry for not being with you this New Year’s Eve. I'm sure Hiro was complaining for helping you and dad cleaning the clinic, like he does every year. And Hide would be reading of grandpa's old medical books and totally forget about any given task. I swear, that guy would give his kingdom for a book.  
I think I fell in love with Osaka. What an amazing city! So vibrant and colorful! It's my second time here and now, that I have more time to enjoy it, I'm smitten. It’s so different from Nagano and even bring so close, it’s not at all like Takarazuka.  
Michiru took me to a fell touristic spots, like Osaka castle and the Aquarium (one of her favorite spots in the city, she said it’s one of the few places in the world where she feels calm and centered. And it’s an incredible place, looking at the fishes can really sooth one's mind.).  
Since we have a lot of homework, we basically spent most of our time at one of her family's conservatory practice rooms. She was still upset her old instructor went to her hometown, but I think she's better now. Michiru is a great girl, grandma. I think you would like her. She's hardworking, talented and she has a great voice. Like really great, way better than mine. Since she's a musician (did I ever tell you she plays the violin?), she has a great ear, so she's in charge of helping me with my signing. Just like I'm in charge of ballet. This way we can help each other. And it works! I can feel my voice getting better and better!  
Grandma, I've been through a lot since I started school. I think I grew a lot too, to become a better person and I'm doing my best to be a great Sienne. Michiru's aunt worked at the Revue for a few years, in the orchestra, and even today she has a lot of friends there, so she has a lot of stories about backstage. It's really great to listen to her, especially after knowing she had played in a few of my favorite plays.  
I'll be back to school in a couple of days, and I'm ready to become a senior. Tell mom I got my kimono and I'll wear it tonight.  
I love you all and we'll see each other on spring break.  
Your granddaughter,  
Haruka"  
*******  
Haruka finished writing the email for her grandmother a few seconds before Michiru walked into the room. They were excited about New Year’s festivities; the Mizuno family had invited both of them to a small party. It wasn't really a party, but Saeko was so determined to make the time the future Siennes spent at home memorable, she demanded them to wear their best clothes (she was even willing to find some clothes that fit Haruka) and celebrate such a special date.  
Traditionally, New Year’s was one of the most important holidays of Japan. The families gathered together, played games, visited temples, ate special dishes and took that time to leave behind the year that it was ending, and have a fresh start.  
The older girls had help with cleaning the house, and decorated with ornaments made of pine, bamboo and plum trees. And since the conservatory would be closed for the first three days of the New Year, they stopped by to do some cleaning and put an ornament that Ami had made in her Home Ec. Class on the building entrance.  
Haruka was having a great time, Michiru's family was really close and they were smart, funny and they really seemed to love music. Ami was this quiet girl and she was so bright. Saeko was a 'cool mom', that reminded Haruka of her own mother, Rina. She had this weird sense of humor and she was so supportive of hers and Michiru's dream. And Jun, her husband, who Haruka had met a couple of days after Christmas, a short man with gentle blue eyes and a quiet voice. Haruka thought he had a familiar face, and realized she saw him during one performance at the Grand Theater. And she liked his work, Jun was a good conductor.  
They spent most of their last day of the year just talking and laughing, exchanging stories. Then the older girls started to talk about school, their dreams and general thoughts and Jun took all the women to the family studio, where Haruka finally listened to Saeko's talented cello. She was incredible, especially because she did one of the things that Haruka thought it was a 'must have' for any good musician: Saeko could make her audience feel such a deep emotion. Listening to her playing, the blonde girl felt her heart so small, like it was about to disappear, and her eyes were watering. But instead of feeling silly for let herself go into a song, she felt a mix of relief and happiness. Like the music had washed her soul.  
She even tried to play a little of piano, following Ami's fast cello. The blue haired girl had such urgent hands, like she needed to run away and never look back.  
Since Michiru didn’t bring her violin, and out of respect, Saeko decided to not ask if she wanted to play, trying to make her niece feel supported and not pressured at all, she was in charge of cooking toshikoshi soba, a traditional New Year’s Eve dish, made of buckwheat noodles.  
After having dinner, Jun went back to the piano, followed by his wife. He started a slow sweet melody, which Haruka couldn't name. It was a happy song, but the slow rhythm made her feel like dancing. No wonder the Kaiou were so famous when it comes to music. Even their partners were talented musicians.  
The blonde girl stood up, her body really close to start moving by itself, and she looked at Ami and Michiru. The blue haired was distracted, reading a book and Michiru was with her eyes closed, like she was absorbing the notes.  
"May I have this dance, sweet princess?"  
Michiru opened her eyes and saw Haruka standing in front of her, offering her hand and for a second, she forgot that was her classmate.  
For a second, she saw a prince.  
The girl didn't even think twice, she took Haruka by the hand and let herself fall in Haruka's warm embrace. They just let themselves follow the song. Michiru felt her face hot and let herself blush for a second.  
She was still a freshman, but what kind of Sienne would she be if being led by her otokoyaku made her blush like a silly teenager? Like everything they did, this was some kind of practice too. If she could be this close to Haruka and not feel anything, she would be able to do whatever she wanted...  
Even nervous, Haruka's hand on her waist was so distracting, Michiru was smiling, looking confident. They had done this before a couple of times, no biggie.  
Haruka was a ballerina. Dancing for her was a second nature. It was almost impossible or her to listen to music and not give herself in. Her body moved by its own accord, she couldn't resist. And Michiru was always a great partner, they moved together perfectly, reading each other's movement.  
No need for practice. One look, one touch and they knew what to do.  
Ami looked up from her book, smiling at the sight of her cousin, and how happy she seemed. Saeko too, saw the two girls dancing and smiled. They looked so perfect together. Maybe all the practice Michiru said they did was paying off. And for a moment, Saeko was mad at her brother. How could he think this was wrong? Michiru was born to do this, to become a Sienne, not a frustrated violinist.  
Like a true Kaiou, she was destined to shine on stage. Just not on an orchestra. That was her place. Maybe it was time for her to go back to the game and follow her own path. The older woman looked at her husband, feeling a little overwhelmed by her own decision. She was always on her brother's shadow, always protecting his talent and giving up her own personal life for that.  
Not anymore.  
Finding her strength in the sight of her teenage niece dancing with a classmate, Saeko knew it was time for her to take some time off from the conservatory and give herself another chance to be the musician she really was.  
And to show her daughter that Kaiou were always moved by the music. No matter if they were playing it or not…

*********  
The girls were still giddy and all kinds of excited when they went back to Michiru's. Both of them were happy and letting their bodies still move in a nonexistent song. So this was the rush of joy they would be feeling every time? Life on stage looked even better now.  
They didn't even care if this was just a new year’s spell. They entered the sterile living room still dancing. Both girls decided to go to bed early since they promised the Mizunos they would go back so they could watch the first sunrise of the New Year together.  
Haruka placed her hand firmly on Michiru's back, a bold move the smaller girl barely noticed.  
"Did you have fun tonight, my princess?" Haruka asked, her naturally deep tone enhancing her prince persona.  
"Immensely, my prince." The aquamarine haired girl's voice wasn't higher than a whisper, her left hand resting comfortably above Haruka's heart. "Good music, good food, good company, impossible for not having a great time." She entered the taller girl’s game. If Haruka wanted Michiru to be her princess, then she would make her a prince. Her prince.  
"I am sorry I have to waltz with other ladies, my darling princess," Haruka was totally invested in their 'play', her tall figure was so overwhelming. But Michiru didn't feel threatened or scared. Her heart beat in a steady rhythm.  
"I do not mind, my prince. I know I am the one who holds your heart." Were these lines from a play? Michiru couldn't remember, she was just so focused on Haruka’s hypnotizing dark green eyes.  
Another swirl. How could they move so freely between her furniture? Haruka was confident, her moves were so certain, she was a natural. She would be an amazing otokoyaku one day. She had all the instincts and manners for that.  
"Only you, my dear. Only you live here..." The blonde girl had their conjoined hands resting over her heart, and Michiru could feel her rapid heartbeat. Haruka stared into her 'princess' eyes, so blue, so dazzling and kept Michiru close to her body. "I wish this song would never end, or this night."  
"We will... Always, always have our tomorrow, sweet prince." Michiru didn't even know what she was saying anymore; she couldn't concentrate with Haruka's face so close to hers.  
Haruka blinked, keeping a sweet smile on her face. Michiru was incredible, a true friend who was willing to do anything to help one in need. She would be an amazing musumeyaku someday and her heart hurt for knowing they would probably never act together after finishing school.  
Long, delicate fingers touched the violinist's face, feeling the smooth, slightly hot skin. Michiru tried to not overreact over Haruka's gesture, but her insides were about to burst. She wouldn't... Would she?  
Feeling the other girl's breath tickle her nose, the smaller girl was holding her ground. If what she was thinking was about to happen, then she would let it happen. Closing her eyes, Michiru was ready for it. She was ready for her first kiss.  
Haruka kissed her cheek and released her friend.  
"Thank you for a lovely night, Michiru, I had a lot of fun...." She said, before going to the room they were sharing.  
Leaving a very confused and slightly frustrated Michiru behind.

*********  
Later that night, the girls were already in bed, but none of them were sleeping, despite their agreement to meet Saeko, Ami and Jun in a few hours. Michiru's brain was working overtime, thinking about what had happened between her and her friend. Haruka was flirting with her or it was just something her mind made her heart believe? She could still feel Haruka's lips on her cheek.  
"Michi? Are you awake?" Came the deep voice that tormented her. She sat on her bed, looking at her friend. Even in the dark, Michiru could see Haruka's body in the futon next to the opposite wall.  
"Yes. Can't sleep?"  
"Yeah. Normally I spend New Year’s watching old plays with my grandma until morning."  
Michiru sighed. Of course Haruka wouldn't even care about what happened earlier. She was the one with the crush.  
"Michi?" Haruka asked, after a few minutes. She felt like she had done something wrong, Michiru was so quiet after their dance. But Haruka had to stop them. Otherwise, they would eventually.... Do something they would regret.  
Because seeing herself reflected on Michiru's mysterious dark blue eyes woke something inside Haruka. And she had no idea what.  
"Yes?"  
"Thank you for having me. I had a wonderful time and if you ever need anything, just let me know, OK?"  
Michiru chuckled. Of course she would crush hard on the other girl. Because beside being extraordinary, she was so damn adorable.  
"Of course, Haru... I won't forget that."

 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read and Review, please :)


	10. January

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: Don´t own anything.

Chapter 10

 

January started colder than usual.  Lots of snowing made it harder to get up in the break of dawn.  For the Takarazuka music school, school days always started early, especially for the freshmen, since they were responsible for cleaning the premises before classes.

It was a hard way to begin their day.  But their strenuous routine helped the girls to step down from their former selves, to help them become humble and making them understand the importance of hard work. 

Haruka was excited about being back at school.  January started full of promises, full of excitement and why not happiness? She was just two months away from being done with her first year, and it was the hardest year in her life.  She wasn't used to this complicated routine.  Even back home, she was disciplined and used to strict rules, laid by her ballet teacher.  A ballerina life meant so much more than just dancing. 

But this school was a whole new level of strictness.  Especially for the first years.  And she was glad it was almost over. 

In the cold and dark morning, Haruka was following closely the rest of the freshmen who just left the dorm.  They walked in line, eyes on the road, in silence.  And the blonde girl was thinking how really lucky she was.  Even in the cold, even when her bed was so inviting. 

She was lucky to just being there, being able to go to this school.  And she couldn't wait to go home next month so she could tell her family about how incredible everything was.  How amazing and fulfilling her life was.

Even if she had to wake up at 5 am and deal with snow and cold to clean the school.

 _‘Nothing else matters when dreams are becoming_ _true’_ , she thought, as she entered the building with the rest of her classmates.

 

********

 

Michiru stood in front of the train door, like it was expected of her, during her ride from Osaka to Takarazuka.  During the one hour she was inside the train, she read music sheets and scripts for classes, trying to be productive.  Moving to the dorms wasn't an option, so she had to enjoy her time at the trains.

But since the end of the school year was coming, she couldn't help but to think what she would do after graduation.  The girl didn't think she was too young to be living alone in Takarazuka; there were plenty of places where she could live after becoming a full Sienne.  Michiru knew after she started working, living there was the best option.

She didn't want to think what her father would think of her moving out, because frankly, she didn’t really care.  She was so done with his anger. 

Maybe she could find a roommate.  Maybe... Haruka would like to share a place with her. 

Michiru sighed, she couldn't believe she was thinking about living together with Haruka.  That was virtually impossible and so far, the worst idea she ever had.  She barely made through 10 days, her heart ached when she remembered that almost kiss they shared at New Years. 

Did they really almost kiss or that was just Michiru's over hopeful mind? She didn't know what was worse, believing that Haruka almost kissed her or thinking it was just something she imagined.  The latter was probably the truth, Haruka only saw her as a friend and they were playing prince and princess, so maybe it was part of the act.

The girl sighed.  Luckily she would be so busy with school that she wouldn't have any time to think about all these stupid things.  Michiru knew that this crush or whatever it was, was just slowing her down, and if she wanted to be great in her job, she’d have to let it go. 

She put her hand over her heart.  Thinking about Haruka made that small muscle beat so fast in pure joy…But Michiru needed that enthusiasm to be focused in building her career.

When she got at the Takarazuka station, she was smiling, feeling a little proud of herself.

 

*******

 

January was supposed to be a busy month.  After an uneventful December, the beginning of the New Year held the promise to be exciting and full of great activities.  For instance, the first years would start their stage make up classes and the seniors were choosing what they would do for the Culture Festival, in February.  Graduation was just around the corner and as usual, it was expected from them nothing but perfection.

Haruka was excited to start the make-up class.  She felt like finally she would start seeing herself as a Sienne, in a real way.  In a few weeks, she would find out about her stage gender and not knowing that was killing her.  It was not like she was demeaning all the musumeyaku, but she felt like she just couldn't be one.  Even being a perfect candidate to be an otokoyaku, she still had this unconscious fear of not being chosen as one.

Even growing up as a ballerina, and under her faithful mother's eyes, Haruka never really felt like she was really feminine.  She always hated the girly dresses Rina made her wear, she hated her stupid long hair... She had the idea that she wasted too much time dealing with 'girl stuff'.  Precious time she could be practicing dance moves or lines. 

Being a tomboy by heart, Haruka wasn’t sure if she could be a good musumeyaku.  And she wasn't killing herself at school to just be good.  She wanted to be great, wanted to be Top. 

It would be a challenge for her, sure.  But Haruka felt like her life was hard enough to add that.  She was fascinated with musumeyaku though.  Their delicate beauty, their gentle moves and yet so strong.  Haruka always thought they were beautiful and one of the reasons she wanted to become an otokoyaku was exactly that. 

To honor her musumeyaku. 

Especially if that musumeyaku was Michiru.

After what happened at her house during New Year, Haruka was a little confused.  She didn't really understand what happened, or what she was feeling.  But that sketch they did, opened her eyes.  And it was like she saw her friend for the first time in her life.  Michiru’s wavy aquamarine hair, her deep blue eyes so full of mysteries... Her slender body, moving so well against hers, reading her like an open book...

Haruka was really focused in fulfilling her dreams, but she wasn't entirely naive.  She had older brothers, she wasn’t completely clueless. 

But she also knew that anything she was feeling after that night, it had to stop right now.  She couldn't risk jeopardizing her future at the Revue.

Or worse, her friendship with Michiru.

 

******

 

The freshmen year make up class was usually held in January, so the girls could practice for the culture festival in February.  Normally, they were responsible for their own make up stage.  And of course, since they would be helping in the upcoming festival, they needed to know techniques so they would be able to provide support for the performers. 

As a school tradition, the freshmen were assigned to seniors, so the honsakei could show them the school, teach them the rules and monitoring them during their cleaning duties.  There was some mean seniors who treated the freshmen badly, and freshmen who secretly rebelled against their seniors.  It was more like second years trying to impose the school hierarchy and the first years being the typical teen’s rebel.

But luckily, both Haruka and Michiru, and their friends were assigned to a group of seniors who were more interested in keeping their grades high, practice a lot and just trying to finish school so they could start their lives.

Since the first years weren't supposed to perform at the festival, just a few choral pieces as usual, they would assist the second years and try to learn as much as possible, because it would be their turn to do the same in no time.

The make-up teacher was a local artist, who worked at the Grand Theater.  She was a small woman, in her 40's, with jet black hair around her shoulders and a slender waist.  Dressed in formal attire, she started her first class of the year explaining the fundaments of make-up, how important it was to enhance the students’ natural beauty, to hide flaws and to help them achieve perfection.

For the whole month, the first years would learn how to use make up to not become someone else.  But to bring out who they really were.  Beautiful young women.

 

*******

 

"Your birthday is coming?"

Haruka, Michiru, Takako and Kaoru were having lunch at the cafeteria.  They were talking about the upcoming festival and their first plans for spring break in March, when Haruka mentioned her family wanted her to go home so they could celebrate her birthday together, even a couple of months late. The taller girl just loved her birthdays.  It was a special time for her and her family, her dad would try hard to take a day off, her mother baked a cake with a sugarless frosting, and her brothers would get her really thoughtful gifts.

And of course she couldn't forget her grandparents.  She didn't have much contact with her mother's parents, since they were incredibly busy taking care of a hospital, but they were lovely people.  A little too focused on their careers, but still lovely.  And Ayako? Haruka smiled when she remembered her tenth birthday, when her grandmother took her to see a Takarazuka performance for the first time.

So, Haruka was excited to go home, to celebrate with her family, not really caring if they would do it after the actual date.

And hopefully, she would know her stage gender by then. 

"Yeah, January 27th," Haruka said, putting her spoon down. Her stomach was a little weird since she woke up, so just a starchy soup with sweet spicy bread for lunch.  Later in the afternoon they would start the practical make up class, where the first years would start putting to practice their new make-up skills, after a few theory lessons. 

Since wearing make-up wasn’t part of her routine, she had no idea if she would do any good.  And since this was a class like any other, Haruka knew she had to be excellent, if she wanted to keep her high grades.

"Oh, that's great!" Kaoru, the smaller girl in the table, older than Haruka by one year, said, excited. "We can go to that bakery down the Hana no michi and have cake! They have this cupcake with nuts and chocolate, it’s to die for."

"And we can go to the theater, it’s been a while since we went there," Takako concluded. 

Haruka smiled, glad she would be able to celebrate her birthday at this very special place. 

"That sounds like a plan, I like it," She said, momentarily forgetting about her upset stomach.  This was what school was about.  Making friends for life. Having fun.

 

*******

 

Under the cold supervision of their teacher, the girls were working hard on their make-up.  The idea of the school was training those girls to be independent artists, for them to be able to do anything by themselves.  Make-up was important because that was the face they would be showing in public, to represent the characters they would play. 

The teacher gave them a simple task, to reproduce one of the styles they had learned during class.  Even being their first try, they were supposed to be good at it.  In this school, there was no place for failure.  How they would be able to charm and amaze thousands of people if they couldn’t even do this?

Haruka was calmly applying eye-shadow, really focused on her task.  She was in her happy place, her safe zone. Where she was the only one, where she could focus and perform beautifully.  For her, nothing else mattered when she was working her best to be the best.  If she wanted to ever become a Top one day, Haruka knew she had to push herself harder.

She looked at the mirror, seeing herself for the first time as the otokoyaku she wanted to be.  Her hair was tied in a ponytail, giving free access to her whole face.  The blonde girl smiled, happy with the result. 

"Very good, Tenou-san," Her teacher started, noticing a few tiny flaws in Haruka's technique.  But in general, her student did well.  And fast. "When you're working with brushes, don't forget to swipe them in the same direction, ok?" She said to the rest of the class, walking around the table, giving a few pointers and making remarks

Michiru was seated next to Haruka. Make-up wasn’t something that she was unfamiliar with.  She had chosen a simple style, with deep colors, the same she saw Mayuko wearing during her final show. When she looked at Haruka, the aquamarine girl felt her heart skip a beat. 

How could someone be this beautiful?  And for a second, Michiru thought she was lucky that students weren't allowed to use make-up at school, save for performances.  Because she wasn’t strong enough to deal with this much perfection every second of her school life...

"Are you okay?" She whispered to her friend, noticing her watering eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I poked my eye with the brush," Haruka said.  She understood she couldn't be overwhelmed by everything that happened to her, so a deep breath was mandatory now.  Giving a second look at the mirror, she was glad with her life choice of being here.

Because the pretty girl she saw in her mirror deserved to be out in the world.

 

******

 

The morning of the 27th started unusually cold.  It was a Saturday and the students would have just half day.  Filled with piano class and extra practice for the bunkasai in two weeks.  The freshmen would perform two chorus pieces and they were excited about the songs they would sing.  Since it was a new song for most of the girls, and to show their evolution as performers, everyone was eager to show their skills.  As individuals and as a group.

Haruka woke up early that chilly morning.  She stared at the ceiling, her eyes used to the darkness.  It was the morning of her 16th birthday, the first birthday she would spent alone, without her family. 

The blonde girl had a few moments where she felt lonely.  Being away from home at this age, not really being able to talk to them, to see them was really hard for her.  At this hour, her father would be sneaking into her bedroom, to give her a birthday kiss before going to work.  Hideo would tell her no matter her age, she would always be his princess. 

After seeing him leaving, Haruka would wake up properly and join her mother in the kitchen, where she would listen to her own birthday story, since the moment the labor started until the little buddle of joy was resting happily in her father's arms.  Hiroaki would invite her for a friendly game and Hideyuki would pretend to forget her special day, just to give her a great gift.  He was the silent type, always studying hard, but his heart was made of gold.  Haruka always loved his lovely gifts.

And of course, she would have cake with her family and her best friend since she was 8 years old.  Mamoru would probably give her a book, or a DVD from the Revue, like he did every year since she told him her dream of becoming a Sienne.  Mamoru always thought she would be a great one someday and he liked spending time watching or reading her gift. 

This year, she was feeling a little too cold.  She was growing up and no one who loved her was there.  Being an adult at this age truly sucked.

Her roommate was still getting ready when Haruka left.  It was still dark, still too unusually cold for an end of January Saturday morning, but it wasn't the time for her to be sad.  Of course not, today was a new day, her day.  She would make it a great birthday.

 

*******

 

One of the extracurricular activities for the students was watching as many plays as possible.  And if they paid enough attention, they would learn a lot from observing the older Siennes. 

And being this close to the Grand Theater and not taking any advantages was just stupid.  That's why Haruka, Michiru, Takako and Kaoru were happily seated in their places, waiting for the play to begin. They all knew how much in love with the Revue Haruka was and watching a play at the Grand Theater seemed a perfect idea to spend her birthday. 

Michiru was listening to her friends making small talk, and she noticed a few women looking at them.  She knew the grey uniforms gave up who they were and luckily, the unsaid rules for the fans, that explicitly forbid any contact with the actresses when they were on their days off, would guarantee a peaceful afternoon. 

The aquamarine girl laughed quietly, with all her contained elegance.  She wasn't doing it for the fame, but she was still amused by the future possibilities.  Would she be able to deal with a possible successful future?  Since she started school, Michiru got so much better than the quiet, scared girl she once was.  And of course, she blamed Haruka for that. 

On Saturdays, Michiru was happy to have a good quality time to herself.  Her parents were usually busy with their own lives, and Ami was always busy with homework.  So Saturdays afternoons was her time.  Normally she would read a good book after a long bath, and relax her sore muscles.  A light dinner and a movie.

But not today.  Today she had planned something different.  And she hoped everything went well.

 

*******

 

"Araki-san was so beautiful!" Kaoru exclaimed as they left the theater.  The play was just wonderful as always and they were so excited to know that they were just one year away from being on that stage.  After all, they would become seniors next month.

"She was, but seriously? You were looking at her? Everything was incredible, I honestly never saw anything this amazing," Takako said, closing her heavy coat.  "Don't you think we can be placed in Hoshigumi with Araki-san? They have a lot of string singers..."

"Tenou-san will be great there, don't you think, Kaiou-san? They have strong otokoyaku too."

Michiru smiled, she knew how admired by her peers Haruka was.  And it was so impossible to not be impressed.  For a freshman, Haruka had a lot of skills and her teachers were amazed by her.  She was so focused and hardworking, being a ballerina since early age gave her the perfect balance and discipline.  And she was getting so much better with her singing, her natural deep voice was getting stronger every day.  Haruka still thought she wasn't a good actress, but Michiru had often told her she would find her prince persona soon, so rushing it wasn't the best idea. Michiru was always impressed by Haruka's dancing.  The taller girl moved like a free spirit, like she was dancing with the air as her partner.

"I honestly think our birthday girl will be great anywhere they place her.  And any Troupe will be so lucky to have her," Kaoru concluded.

Michiru liked her friends.  They were chatty, lovely and talented girls, who shared their dream of being great Siennes.  She was truly glad for being able to meet them.

"You guys are always talking too much about me, when you need to be worrying about yourself," Haruka said, smirking.  She winked to Michiru, to let her know she was just pulling their friends' legs.

"That's not fair, Tenou-san, you know I work harder than all of you because I'm not...” Takako started, just to be interrupted by Kaoru.

"She's not young as us and you know old babas have bad knees."

"Who are you calling old baba? You're older than me!" Takako said, angry.

"But I'm cuter, so I win!"

Michiru and Haruka didn't really understand how those two really became friends, since they were always on each other's throats.  But it was always a friendly batter, nothing too serious. Nothing that could put their friendship in jeopardy. Working together all those months ago, for the fundraiser event, had help building their relationship.  Forever.

"So, we're going back to the dorm, it’s almost dinner time," Kaoru said, after a few minutes of silly fight with Takako.  Takako looked up to the sky and smiled, a whole Sunday to rest and just being lazy waited for her.  "But we can walk you to the station, Kaiou-san, so you won't be alone," the short girl said, as she shivered from the cold. 

"Oh, there's no need, I can go by myself, and it’s not that far." Michiru was used to the ten minute walk from the station, since she used that path every day.  She didn't really mind to wait until Monday to give her gift to Haruka, and she was moderately happy to spend her birthday together.  Things were kind of awkward between them since their dance in Michiru's house, but the aquamarine haired girl didn't say anything about it.  If Haruka also felt anything she never said anything either.  And Michiru was fine with that.  Maybe even a little hopeful…

"Of course not, Kaiou-san", why her last name sounded so weird coming from Haruka's mouth? "I will go with you," Haruka offered.

"OK, but can we do a little detour first?"

 

 

*******

 

The two students sat in the back of the restaurant, enjoying some quiet time, since the place was almost empty.  When Michiru said she wanted to take Haruka out for dinner, she didn't really expected the taller girl acting so surprised.  They were friends and that's what friends did for each other.  Especially on their birthday.

And Michiru just wanted to dismiss that awkward cloud that she felt above their heads.  Nothing happened at her house, and if it did, it was probably her active subconscious, so avid, so hopeful for Haruka to tell her she felt the same way.  That she was also crushing hard on her.

For someone so smart, Michiru felt stupid.  They were performing a play, nothing else.  There was no almost kiss, no lingering sexual tension. 

Nothing.

Michiru sighed, her new found smile back on her beautiful face.  Haruka was looking at her, happy to be there.  Haruka wasn’t like her.  She was still too naive, maybe even a little childish.  While she listened to some classmates giggle in secret about boys, Haruka was becoming the best dancer in their class.  She never had said anything about anyone else, or her own preferences.  So Michiru concluded romance wasn't an important part of her friend's life.

The aquamarine girl couldn't really blame Haruka.  She was definitely right, they had so much more important things to deal with.  Maybe she should follow her example and just give herself to her training.  Focus on becoming a star.

Maybe even being Top one day.

"Did you had fun today?" She asked, looking at the menu.  That restaurant was her favorite in Takarazuka, maybe because it was the same one where Haruka gave her the most perfectly timed pep talk ever and changed her school life forever.  Every time they had a free time and she was available, Michiru would suggest they went to that place, so special she kept close to her heart.

"Yes! You know I love going to the theater."

Haruka smiled her adorable boyish smile.  And Michiru felt her heart skip a beat…

"But I would be okay with anything you guys decided to do," she concluded, adjusting her red tie.  She was a little tired, but she couldn't just say no to Michiru's invitation.  She was hoping to spend some alone time with her friend. With classes, practices and training, they barely had time to talk.  Their schedule would become more insane so Haruka needed this.  On this day nevertheless.

"I'm not sure if you're familiar with the fact that today is your birthday, and this means that today is your day," Michiru said, sipping her water. 

"Oh, trust me, I'm completely familiar with that concept.  It's not like I'm full of myself, but I kept thinking about my family, imagining how things were and what would they being doing.” For someone who never had spent that much time away from her parents and brothers, Haruka was dealing easily with that transition. 

“You miss them a lot." It wasn't a question, but a gentle statement.  For all she knew, the Tenou were indeed lovely people.  Haruka always had a smile on her face when she talked about them.

The old man who owned the restaurant along with his wife was on waiter duty that evening, so he approached the girls in a surprisedly fast pace for someone his age.

"Good evening, what can I offer you?" He said, giving them warm towels so they could clean their hands.  Michiru smiled at her friend.

"Dinner is on me tonight, so don’t be shy, OK?" She said, so elegantly. 

Haruka chuckled, amazed at how classy and adult Michiru looked.  They had the same age, Michiru being younger than her by a couple months, according to the talk she heard between her friends, but Michiru was so mature.  So much more than her.

"Why don't we order Yosenabe? It's really delicious and at this hour, something like will help us sleep better."  Yosenabe was a hot pot dish with a little of everything: meat; seafood; tofu; egg; and vegetables, one of the perfect food for a cold night like that.

"I think you're right." Michiru looked at the old man and told him what they would have.  After watching the man leave, she reached for her bag and took out a neatly wrapped parcel. 

"Here, happy birthday." the aquamarine girl handed the gift to Haruka, who looked like she didn’t really believe she was getting a birthday present.

"You didn't have to, but thank you."

"It's just something I saw it one day and it made me think of you."

Things were weird between them, Haruka knew that.  They were still close, still best friends, still partners.  But Haruka wasn’t stupid; she knew that Michiru was a little distant, like she was almost embarrassed for being there.  Haruka herself was a little confused about some of her own feelings, that evening back in Michiru's house was just... She couldn't put her finger on what was really happening.  She could feel the tension.

"Can I open it now?" The blonde girl asked, her deep voice was strong and confident, so Michiru knew she was comfortable. She already knew Haruka so well, every nuance of her personality. 

 With a nod of her friend, Haruka carefully opened the package, revealing a book.  Michiru smiled when she saw the other girl's eyes sparkling.

"Do you like it?" She asked with a quiet voice.

Haruka ran her long, pianist fingers over the cover, feeling the cool paper under her fingertips.

 "I heard you talking about getting this book, I really hope you don't have it yet." Michiru was truly clueless when she decided to buy something for Haruka.  She knew she should get something related to the Revue, because she knew Haruka used to collect memorabilia.  But she had no idea what to get for her.  So she decided to give her Araki-san's first personal book, full of pictures, since she was absolutely sure Haruka admired the older Sienne.

"Thank you, Michi," Haruka said, touching Michiru's hand, gently. The action sent shivers right down the aquamarine haired girl's spine.  Of course she had to act like a hormonal teenager now.

"Anything for my prince," she said, knowing that they would be fine.  At least, she sincerely hoped so...

 

 

 

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay, hope you like this one. read and review please :)


	11. February

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I dont own Sailor Moon, Takarazuka Revue or anything related to them.
> 
> Author´s note: No excuse about the be being late, work and school decided to team up to kick my ass... It´s a short chapter, and we´re almost done, just a couple of more chapters to go :D

Chapter 11

February came and went, the shortest month of the year brought Haruka and Michiru's first bunkasai. At least their version of the traditional Japanese high school's cultural festival. Bunkasai are usually held every autumn and the festival is made to celebrate the accomplishments of the school clubs.  
The bunkasai at the music school was a little different, of course, but it also helps the students to feel like regular girls, like any other students all over the country. The performance recital was held in Bow Hall, a smaller theater in the Grand Theater complex, and it took a whole weekend, right before the spring break. It was very important for the graduating class, since the program consists of song and dance numbers split between all of the class members, in all genres, and a small skit or two. This year, the freshmen were allowed to present two choral pieces, and of course, they had to help with setting up, taking the burden off the over stressed seniors.  
In addition, of course, it was good for the freshmen class to have a taste of their near future. Because now they had just their finals week and then, their first year was over.  
At the end of the month, with the same arrangements they did during midterms, Haruka and her friends practically aced their tests. The teachers were truly amazed by their potential and talent, and especially for Michiru's progress. For someone who had so much trouble during the beginning of her life as a music school student, finishing her first year as top of her class really filled her heart with pride. She could do this. She could prove to everyone, especially to herself, that she was capable of being a great Sienne. Her future was so clear now.  
She had to suppress the tears that threatened to fall when she saw the results. Being top of the class could mean a great push in her career, because nothing talks more than results. 

****** 

March begin a little warm in the small city of Takarazuka. After a whole day of classes and getting ready for the end of the school year, Michiru and the girls were walking slowly towards their favorite restaurant. It was Michiru's birthday, so she decided to celebrate with her friends. She wanted to just relax and enjoy the girls’ company. The first year was practically over; they were just one week away from finding out their stage genders and then spring break.  
They had the false feeling of security, since they were just waiting for the end of the school year. Like anything could happen to hurt them. And it was a day to celebrate. Besides the outstanding results on their finals, the small group of future Siennes got a lot of praise over their chorus performance at the bunkasai the month before. Haruka, being the only potential otokoyaku in the group, always got all the attention, with her height and deep voice, but now she was truly happy to see her friends, her sisters, being right there with her.  
She didn't know if meeting these girls was a match made in heaven, but she was truly thankful for it. It made her life at school bearable. She tried to reach out for her roommate, but after a few months trying, she gave up. One could try as much she had without getting any kind of response. And her roommate was just a rude, obnoxious girl. So different from her bunch of fiends.  
All four girls, gathered around a table in the back of the restaurant, Haruka could understand why Michiru liked that place: it had a great atmosphere, so nice and calm. It was a good place to relax and have some great food after a day full of classes, practices and rehearsals. The restaurant was located in a street right behind the grand theater; next to some museum Haruka never had the interest in visiting. Her oldest brother, Hideyuki was furious with her once he found out she didn't really care for the place. It was about some manga artist, she really didn't care. She read manga when she was younger, but now she just didn't had the time.  
They had a lovely late lunch and some chocolate cake, nothing but a quiet celebration. Haruka had gotten her friend a present, but for some reason, she didn't felt comfortable enough to give it to her. Since Christmas, Haruka still felt that something weird had happened and she did not really know why, especially because Michiru never said anything.  
Maybe it was for the best, maybe it was it something she imagined. Like Michiru would ever look at a girl like her.  
However, did she want Michiru to look at her like that? Haruka had no idea what she was feeling, and even if she was feeling something. One thing she knew for sure, she was confused as hell. She didn't really had the time to think about it, being so busy, so she pushed it to the deep corners of her mind and decided to leave it there to give some thoughts when she was less busy. Maybe during the upcoming Spring Break...  
However, she knew her life would just get worse. Senior year would bring her more and more responsibilities. So maybe she needed to forget everything and just move on.  
When she realized he was lost in her thoughts, Haruka saw Michiru smiling at her, with those big deep blue eyes piercing her soul.  
"Are you okay, Haruka-san?"  
"Oh, yeah, just spaced out a little. It's cool."  
"Can you please come back to earth? It's time for cake." 

*********  
Michiru was having a great birthday. She would finish her first year as top of her class, her teachers and instructors are all praising her for her accomplishments and she had a lovely birthday lunch with her friends. Takako gave her a new set of hair clippers from her hometown and Kaoru opted to give her new music notebook, which she had customized the cover, since she was the most crafty of the group.  
Haruka gave her a DVD with one of Mayuko's plays. The blonde girl knew how much she admired her instructor and was always looking up to her.  
She loved all her gifts, she was so grateful to have such considerate friends.  
The aquamarine girl got home a few hours later than usual, but she didn't really care. She had told Saeko and Ami should would be spending most of her birthday with some school friends. Her aunt asked her if they could have a special dinner Saturday night. And of course Michiru agreed. She loved spending time with her family.  
"Where were you?"  
A deep voice took Michiru out of her own thoughts. She was so distracted she didn't even realize her parents were in the living room, apparently waiting for her.  
The aquamarine haired girl was surprised to see them both there; they usually came home so late, so she barely saw them.  
"I had a late lunch with my friends from school," Michiru said, feeling suddenly tired. She was having such a good day, why her father looked like he would ruin it?  
"Your mother and I were waiting for you. Do you know what day is today?"  
The girl left her school bag and her gifts on the floor and removed her coat and hat. It was still a little cold, but days were getting warmer.  
"It´s Wednesday, father," Michiru answered, not really paying attention to what was happening around her. She was in a great mood and she just wanted to take a long bath, have some light dinner and do some studying before bed. Maybe even play her violin a little.  
Daiki stood up, his face was dark and he looked angry.  
"Don’t mess with me, young lady, I´ll ask you again. Do you know what day is today?"  
"Of course I know, father. It's my birthday, I'm sixteen now." She was trying to keep her good mood, but as usual, her father was getting on her nerves.  
"Exactly! It is your birthday and you should be here, so we could spend it together. Not doing god knows what with some random girls." Daiki had decided to get along with the idea of his daughter attending the Music School, she seemed so determined and he didn´t want to fight with her anymore.. "We always spend your birthday together, always." The man looked at the girl, she had grown so much the past year, he didn´t know who she was anymore. Time was running fast and now he had a young woman living in his house. It was like yesterday when she was learning how to walk, her childish face always so happy to see him. "What is happening to you, Michiru? I barely recognize you! The daughter I raised would not keep her parents waiting, she would at least call. "  
Michiru couldn’t believe what she was hearing. So now Daiki wanted to play the role of the sad parent, who couldn’t believe his daughter had ditched him to spend her special day with her friends? It was unbelievable.  
"Do you realized you just said more words to me now than the last months? So yes, I was spending my birthday with people who cares about me, who wants to be with me and not hate me for my choices. “A part of Michiru couldn't realize she was throwing all those words to her own father, the man she admired her whole life. But she was so tired of being attacked all the time, of not having any support from Daiki... She was done with that.  
"Who do you think you are to talk to me like that, young lady?" Daiki looked so mad, his face was all red. He looked at his wife, wanting her support, but Natsuki just kept her silence.  
"I am the daughter you raised. But you are so angry with me for being who I am that you didn’t even realize that. “She took a deep breath, calming herself. "I am sorry father, but I won't spend my special day with someone who doesn’t support my decisions. Can't you see how happy I am? Or are you so focused on our own life that you can't see anything else?"  
"You can't talk to me like that, Michiru!"  
"I know I can't and I am sorry for that, father. But you cannot demand me to sacrifice my happiness for you. So if you excuse me, I had a very tiring day and I will take my bath now."  
Daiki watched his daughter leaving the room. He couldn't believe everything she had said to him. Never in her young life had Michiru raised her voice to anyone, especially him. Seeing his little girl acting like that made him even angrier and sad. He took a deep breath to collect himself and turned to Natsuki.  
"I could use your support, you know?"  
"If you were right, I would have supported you. But you're acting like a spoiled child, so no, no candy for you."  
The man stood there, not really knowing what to say and think. His wife should be the one who would understand him and yet, she didn't even seem to care.  
"Why are you so upset with her? It's been months! Just let it go..." Natsuki said, she was so tired of her house being decided like that. But her husband was always so stubborn. It was a Kaiou treat, she assumed. Because every one of them was ever so obsessive with the smallest tings.  
"She is a Kaiou. Isn't just a surname, it’s a tradition," Daiki started to explain, just to be cut by Natsuki.  
"So, you're angry at your only daughter because she's acting just like her father. Or did you forget you left your conservatory behind to go to America?" Natsuki took a deep breath and kept going. "You walked out your own family responsibilities as the first born, and now you’re upset Michiru is doing the same? What's the matter? It's because she doesn’t have a younger sister to assume her place like you do? Be angry at us for not having another baby! But stop this madness. This family feud went too far already."  
Natsuki was a woman with a very strong personality. She barely remembered her own father, he had passed away when she was really young and being raised by a single mother, made her the strong woman she was today. Normally she didn't have a lot of trouble with Daiki, he was an easy-going kind of guy, but sometimes she wanted to chew his head off. She would always be on her daughter side.  
Daiki sat down, feeling the truth of Natsuki's words hitting him hard. She was right. She was always right. He missed spending time with Michiru. His daughter was the most precious thing he had since the day he found out he would become a father. He taught her how to walk, talk, and read music sheets. He shared his passion over the violin with her. Daiki still remembered the days they spent playing, just them.  
Natsuki sat beside her husband  
"Have you seen her dancing? Or singing? She's great, honey. And not just that. She's happy. And we should be happy for her." 

****** 

The first year at music school ended in a cold March afternoon. It was a busy month, with the graduation, and some mock performances. The seniors barely had time to do anything and the freshmen had a first glance of how insane their lives will be in just a few months.  
Graduation was a very touching ceremony, which Haruka, Michiru and their friends had an active role in. As top of their class, it was up to Michiru to give a speech, along with their class representative. She had said a few words about perseverance and motivation, words that she really believed in. After all, without that, she would be on her way home as a failure.  
After the ceremony, the freshmen class got their stage genders sorted out and they were warned they would have until the end of spring vacation to choose their stage names. As seniors, their lives would be more public, with photo sessions, and more performance, so they had to embrace their Sienne persona. Haruka wasn’t worried about that, she pretty much had an idea of how she wanted to be known for the rest of her life.  
After packing her bags, she met her friends at the train station, so they could ride together until Osaka. Everyone was excited to go home for the first time in months, Haruka included. She didn't regret staying at Michiru's during New Year’s, but she missed her family and friends. She had been so busy, barely had any time to even talk to them.  
As usual, the ride to Osaka was a quiet one. At the station, Takako had to run to catch her train back home and Kaoru would wait for her parents to come and get her, so she went to meet them, leaving Haruka and Michiru alone. Since Michiru hadn’t anything planned to do, she decided to walk Haruka to the station where she would catch a train to Nagoya, and from there, finally, another one to Nagano. It was a tiring trip, but she would have plenty of time to get some rest.  
"Any plans for spring vacation?" Haruka asked when they were walking to the train depot.  
"Nothing really, just planning on helping Mayuko-san at her studio and practice a lot," Michiru explained, she was glad to have these weeks off school, but she also knew she couldn’t stop working.  
"Just don’t push yourself too hard, take some time to rest. OK?" Haruka was indeed worried with her friend. Michiru had come a long way from messed freshman to confident top of their class. She wanted to help her stay on top.  
"Don’t worry, I will be fine," The aquamarine haired girl said, looking at the clock and realizing they won't have too much time. "And thank you for all your help this year. I know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."  
Haruka gave her best smile.  
"What I always tell you? The Prince always saves the princess."  
"But I'm not a damsel in distress anymore." Michiru chuckled, seeing Haruka look at her ticket for some information.  
"So maybe I should change that then..." The blonde girl thought about it for a couple of seconds. She remembered when Michiru helped her avoiding a serious injury and everything she had ever done for her. "The prince always saves the princess, but this Prince here will always need the help of his princess."  
"As equals?"  
"The only way I know how, my princess."  
Michiru blushed hard at Haruka’s words; her friend was becoming quite a charmer. They stop there, in silence, until the woman in the sound system warns the passengers the bullet train to Nagoya will be leaving shortly.  
"I guess I will see you in a few weeks." Since when saying goodbye became so hard and slightly awkward? Haruka hoped this month away would help her heart forget all this mess and focus on what really matter: excel her senior year.  
As she sat in her place, she looked at the window to see Michiru still there on the depot, looking at her. So beautiful in her grey uniform. Haruka room a deep breath, a month away would help her. A lot...


	12. Spring Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don´t own Sailor Moon, Takarazuka or anything related. Just borrowing these amazing characters and incredible universe. Also thanks to my beta :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey peeps, I hope this one finds you all well. I didnt abandon this story, but i barely have time to focus on anything besides college and work. I deeply apologize for that. Also, had a pretty bad case of writer´s block, but it´s almost over by now :D  
> Thanks for all the kudos, bookmarks and comments. I love to hear from all of you.

Chapter 12

Haruka was surprised when she saw her mother, grandmother and her two older brothers waiting for her at the station. Last time she went home, just Mamoru and Hiroaki were able to go and now, almost her entire family was there. 

She smiled at them from the window, seeing how much they had changed at all in all those months they hadn't seen each other. Hiroaki was sporting a short ponytail and looked smug as ever and Hideyuki had gotten new glasses. Haruka loved her brothers, even not really being close to them since she was almost 5 years younger. Hideyuki became a med student when she was still at junior high, following the family tradition, and Hiroaki was enjoying his free spirit. He always said life was too short to not enjoy it at the fullest, but Haruka always thought he was just lazy.

When she finally arrived at the depot, looking so polite in her grey uniform and she couldn't help but smile at her family. Her grandmother looked even tinier than before, and Haruka was truly surprised to see her there. Usually they went to Hakui to visit Ayako. Her mother gave her a fierce hug, almost taking her breath away. 

"Don't you ever stay that much time away, understand? You don't know how much I missed you," Rina said, feeling her eyes watering by being this close to her baby girl again. Haruka was basically an adult, already living by herself and taking care of her own life. But she would always be her baby. That was a given.

"I'm sorry, mom. I will come home more often, I swear," the girl said, still caught in Rina's bear hug. Reluctantly the older women let her daughter go, to let the other family members say their hellos. Hiroaki gave Haruka another bear hug and Hideyuki congratulated her for finishing her first year of school with a kiss on her cheek. He wasn't a touchy-feeling kind of guy, always keeping his distance. Not like his brother, though. Hiroaki was his polar opposite.

For last, but not least, Haruka looked down to her grandmother. She owned this woman everything; she was wearing that grey uniform because of her. If she was studying so hard to become a Sienne, it was because of her. 

"Hello grandma..."she started to say, realizing how much time had passed since she last saw Ayako. Her grandmother looked older, tired and smaller. And Haruka felt bad for not having much free time to contact her more often.

"You're getting taller and taller," Ayako said. She looked so proud of her only granddaughter. "I can barely see your face from up there," she finished, smiling. Haruka laughed and hugged the older woman.

"Where's dad? And Mamoru?" The blond girl asked, she missed them both too and was dying to see them.

"Well, your father had an emergency and had to stay at the hospital. Mamoru said something about meeting someone and he said he would stop by later," Rina explained. She knew how close Hideo and Haruka were and not being able to being there to welcome her really made him sad. Haruka was fine with that, she knew how busy a doctor was and she was fine with it. Her father was always there for her when she needed. That was what truly mattered.

And Mamoru? Ha, if he had a date, Haruka made a promise to herself that she would pull his leg until the day she had to go back to school. 

"So, what is everyone doing here? I still remember my way home, I could go by myself". Hideyuki took her duffle bag from her hands and smiled. 

"Oh honey, your brothers are here just to take your luggage home, I brought both of them because I thought you would bring more stuff," Rina said, after exchanging conspiratory smiles with her kids and mother in law. Haruka was confused, they wouldn't go home now? "Actually, Mother and I will be taking you to get a haircut..."

*********  
A few days later, Michiru was at home, cooking her breakfast. She had looked some recipes online and decided to give it a try. She was just one year away from finishing school and it was more likely that she would move definitely to Takarazuka. So she knew she would have to take care of herself. 

It's not like she didn't do it before, with her parents being away from home so often, but she always relied heavily on her aunt's shoulders. Or take outs, back when she was living at the States. And she couldn't go back to that. Being a professional actress and dancer was physically demanding and Michiru knew she had to take better care of her body.  
She got the table ready and fixed a plate. As usual, her parents were working and Michiru felt like staying at home. Maybe reading a book or just taking a long bath. She wanted to have some time off everything, so she could rest before going back to her practice schedule. Now that she was done with the first year of school, she knew everything would be even harder. 

But, alone in her empty house, Michiru could finally admit she was terrified of going back to school. The girl was afraid of not being good enough to follow her class, to be amazing, to be truly outstanding. She knew she was good and she was getting better and better, but maybe that wasn't enough for her to achieve her goals inside the Revue. 

Michiru chuckled, feeling stupid. Why she had to doubt herself now? After finishing her first year as top of her class, why she had to feel this way? 

After eating, the aquamarine haired girl took off her clothes, to take a long and needed bath. Michiru decided to have a long talk to Mayuko. The former Sienne could give her some explanation about what she was feeling, and why she was so full of doubts. It was so stupid to be like this. 

Everything came so easy for her. Her violin skills, learning traditional dance, ballet. Training her voice, tapping into an acting talent she didn't even realize she had. The other girls in her class said she could become the perfect Sienne. Because she was focused, educated and polite. She came from a traditional family and she knew how to act like a proper young lady. And that, for a musumeyaku, was one of the main attribute. 

Michiru wasn't surprised when she found out she would be a musumeyaku. She wasn't even trying to be anything different, so she gladly accepted her stage gender. Now she just had to choose her stage name and she would be ready to debut. 

Michiru smiled to herself, because she already had an idea of how she wanted to be called basically for rest of her life. Taking a deep breath, she submerged in the tub, letting her naked body be surrounded completely by the water. She always felt calmer when she was in the water. Maybe she could go back to her swimming classes. 

*******

Nagano was a good place to live. The weather was good most of the year, had great sights, and after hosting Winter Olympics back in '98, it grew enough to be considered a metropolis. Haruka loved that city. She was proud of her hometown, of how slightly accented her Japanese was. Of how, even with all the changes over the years, Nagano was still a place she longed to be.

The sun wasn’t even up when she passed the hill where the Zenkouji temple was. Built back in the 7th century, the Shintoist temple stood imposing, looking over the city, like a silent protector. Haruka went there with her family during the new years since she could remember.

Except last year. When she spent an awkward New Year´s Eve at Michiru's. Where a silly play almost lead to something she wasn't ready for. 

A few months after what happened at her friends place, Haruka still didn't understand what had happened between them. But she was glad that it didn't ruin her friendship by making them uncomfortable enough to not being able to even be around each other. So Haruka was happy for that.

She felt her lungs burn when she passed by the hospital her father worked. Haruka had gone back to her running routine as soon as she got back home for her break. But she was clearly not used to push her body in that way anymore. Running, being one with the wind, gave her a rush that ballet never did, and she missed a lot during her time in Takarazuka. Maybe now that she would have a free hour before school, she could go back to do something that she had neglected for so long. And running would help her keeping her body in shape.

And Takarazuka was such a beautiful city. Sightseeing would be her reward. After one year living there, Haruka felt bad for not knowing the town she was going to live after school. So, she would make an effort and start running every morning. 

"Oi, Haruka!" She heard someone calling her and stopped her tracks. She felt bad for already being tired after just one hour of running, but she was afraid of hurting herself if she pushed her limits. Looking back, she saw Mamoru and smiled. Since she got back home she hadn't see her best friend and was a little upset. She felt like he was avoiding her. If being away wasn´t already hard enough.

"What are you doing? It´s not even 6 am," the dark haired boy asked, his blue eyes glued on his friend. 

"I could ask you the same, Mr. 'I'm too busy to see your best friend in the world'" she crossed her arms over her chest, not really mad with him. Upset maybe, but mad? Not in this life.

Mamoru showed her a plastic bag he was carrying.

"Mom just got home from her shift and since me and dad were away, I offered to get some food," He explained, as they walked together back to the building both of them lived. "I got back just a few hours ago, that´s why I wasn´t here when you arrived".

The blonde girl looked at him, she was very thirsty, but since they were almost home and she didn't have any money, she decided to wait. 

"Where were you? Mom said you were meeting someone, I thought you had a date or something."

Haruka smirked when she saw Mamoru blushing, even after this long not seeing each other; he was the same gullible kid she used to pick when they were young.

"No, no dates. Dad wants me to go away for college and we went to Tokyo for some lectures."

Surprised, Haruka went silent, trying to process what he had said. College? But Mamoru was her age, just a few months older. How he was already thinking about college? But again, she wasn't even 17 and was almost a professional. Maybe time was supposed to run faster for them.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, I bet you have a lot to tell me, and I promise we will get together and talk all night long about everything that's going on with you, OK?" The boy said, taking his key out of his pocket. The walk to their building was a fast one and they were on their floor in no time. 

As Haruka opened her door, she heard Mamoru calling her name. Looking at her oldest friend, she didn't see the boy she left behind, one year ago. Mamoru was now taller than her, his body was still slender, and his black hair was a little longer. 

"What?" She asked, realizing they were both growing up really fast and made a promise to herself to take some time off to spend with him, just reconnecting.

"I like your hair short like that."

Smiling, Haruka passed her hand on her hair, she was still getting used to its new length, but already loving it.

"Thanks. You could use some haircut too, you know."

Chuckling, Mamoru entered into his apartment, and Haruka did the same. She was indeed very thirsty.

*******  
Time was running fast for Michiru. As usual, she was helping Mayuko in her dance studio, and of course practicing her ballet. She started dancing a little late, so Michiru took advantage of every spare time to getting better. 

The girl was excellent as a traditional dance, but Western dance styles weren´t her forte. Luckily she had great instructors at school and her friends were also incredible, especially Haruka, the most skilled of them. And watching her friend dance was one of the most amazing things Michiru ever saw in her life. Not a surprise that Haruka was great; she started practicing when she was only four years old.

That was something Michiru couldn't understand. Haruka was so skilled and talented, why she wasn't top of their class, instead of her? In comparison to her, Michiru was just another girl, nothing special at all. She couldn't really understand how that happened, because it seemed pretty impossible for her to beat Haruka. 

Michiru was just a rebellious girl who decided to defy everything to do something that she didn't even know she could. That thought really saddened her, because she wanted to believe, she wanted so hard to believe that she was capable to thrive. Especially because Michiru planned to be a Sienne forever. 

"If you don't pay attention to your exercises, you can get hurt." Michiru heard Mayuko say. Looking at her mentor, Michiru gave her a sad smile. Mostly cause she didn't know how to do it differently outside school.

"I know, I'm sorry." 

"Don't be sorry, just pay attention." Mayuko walked by her, and fixed her position. Michiru was a really fast learner, but she always had trouble with maintaining some poses for too long. Mayuko was proud of her for being top of her class, she felt like this was her own victory, since Michiru was her protégée. She also began her career really young, but everything blew up on her face when she had a serious injury and her knee never recovered. 

The older woman went to the radio equipment she use during practice and changed the song to an upbeat melody. The studio was empty since the entrance exam for TMS was in a few days and she wanted her girls to rest so they could excel on it. 

Looking at Michiru, Mayuko saw herself at her age. So full of dreams, so passionate. Thinking the world was her oyster and she could do everything. Well, certainly, Michiru had the attitude for it, and after a really busy year, Mayuko hope the girl was getting her mind and soul ready for the commitment that being a Sienne really meant. In her days, she knew many girls who quitted for not being able to handle the pressure. It was a wonderful world indeed. But it didn't come easily. 

Now Mayuko had a completely different life. She had gotten married to a lovely man, a physiotherapist who worked in the same clinic she treated her injury; she had her studio and her students to worry. And she had this incredible girl, who always kept a sad smile on her face. This girl, who was going against everything just to be like her. And Mayuko knew she would do anything to help her. 

She walked back to Michiru, seeing her deep blue eyes fixed on her.

"I understand why you're focused on your ballet, and that´s not wrong, but you need to excel in other dance styles too." Mayuko tied her hair in a neat bun and moved her head side to side, hearing a satisfying crack. "If I remember correctly, you already started your jazz lessons right? Show me what you learned."

******

"So, Asanuma raised his leg a little too high and his shoes cut my arm" Mamoru explained, showing Haruka the fade bruises on his left arm. "Luckily I’m a fast healer and didn't have any trouble on my exams. But the poor kid still apologizes every time he sees me".

A few days later, the two friends were having a sleepover, the first one after years. They had a lot to catch up and decided staying up late would help. Haruka was just listening to his junior high adventures, a little boring for her, especially because Mamoru was attending the first year of high school and she never really cared about it. Not that she was a bad student. But her main focus was far from that kind of education.

Mamoru, on the other hand, was a very bright boy. He always excelled his tests and everyone saw an incredible future for him. Haruka thought that was why his father wanted him to go study overseas. Going to college in a very renowned school would do wonders for him if he came back. Haruka had some experience on living far from her family and she knew that being in a strange place could really help achieving success.

Or break the boy entirely. Honestly, she didn't know how he would react to a situation like hers. And she was worried. Mamoru was too important for her and she felt like she was in fault with him, for being away and being so busy.

"I'm never playing soccer with him again, which is probably for the best because I will give birth to a pterodactyl next week," Mamoru said, realizing his friend was so far away she wasn't even listening to him. He took a sip of the water he had got earlier, before bed and waited for what he said sink.

"Wait, what?" Haruka asked, feeling confused for a second. Why Mamoru was talking about dinosaurs? She would probably know if she was paying attention to him and to his stories. Bad Haruka.

"I was just testing you, to see if you were paying attention, but I guess I'm not interesting anymore." The boy faked a hurt tone on his voice. "It's cool, I know you have a lot in your mind."

"No, I'm sorry, I should be listening. It's just...” Haruka sat in her bed, hugging a pillow. She missed her childhood room, but weirdly enough, she felt like it wasn't her place anymore. It was a simple room, a little too girly and messy. Maybe she could take that mattress with her? Her back would appreciate it.

"Just what?" Mamoru asked from the floor where Rina had laid down a futon for him. They used to sleep in the same bed when they were young, but now, so many years later, Haruka's bed was way too small for both of them.

"I'm worried about you. All this college stuff, are you too young for that? To already be going to lectures and visits. I met some girls at school, who had a really bad time adapting to being away from hone and I heard stories about girls who left because they couldn't handle it..."

Mamoru got up and sat beside his friend. It felt like forever since the last time he was in that room.

"There's some talks, yeah, but it's not set on stone yet. And there's still a couple of years until that". He didn't really understand why Haruka was still thinking about that. "So don't worry, okay?"

"I guess... I guess knowing that you will leave Nagano too made me realize we are really growing up and we probably won't be in each other's lives when we become adults.”  
Mamoru looked at his friend, Haruka was always to strong and confident. Listening to her talking about her fears was almost scary. 

"I don't really think you should be worried. But I get it. I was afraid of you coming back all different and I wouldn't even recognize you," Mamoru sighed. This night wasn´t going the way he imagined. He wanted to watch some old movies, play some games, read some manga and just talk about everything and nothing, like the old times. Not having a deep talk about their fears.

"Really? Despite my new hair, I'm still me, you know that, right?" Haruka tried to lighten up the mood. She knew Mamoru wasn't a social butterfly like her, and with her being far away, he was lonely. The girl reached for her friend and hugged him. "I'm sorry." She said, still in his personal space. "But I promise I won't change that much, OK? And you need to promise me the same, ‘cause when we grow up, our lives will be so messy that we will need this familiarity. Promise?"

Mamoru looked at Haruka and smiled. Why he was so worried? 

******

Michiru had a very busy vacation. She took her time off school to work on Mayuko's studio almost every day, using the place to practice too. After all, she needed to be sharp as ever if she waged to keep her position of top of her class. Graduating from TMS as the best student would do wonders on her future career and now that her first and awkward year has passed, Michiru was adamant that she could do this and have a long life as a Sienne.

She also enjoyed her time with her cousin, especially when they had to work at the family music conservatory. Before every the new classes starts, Ami liked to look at all the conservatory systems and bills to get the books right and optimize her mother’s work. She was the only one in the family who had talent for numbers and stuff like that, so since she was a little girl, her mother didn't bother in letting her daughter take care of that. Especially now that Saeko was so busy practicing for her audition to be, once more, a cellist in Takarazuka orchestra. 

Michiru was proud of her aunt. Not just because she decided to go back to the place she loved working, but because she was defying tradition, just like herself. Kaiou women were supposed to become teachers in their music conservatory, but Michiru was happy to be a part of a revolution. Saeko was giving her best to go back to perform and her own mother was one of her inspirations to be a strong and decided woman. Natsuki didn't bow to anyone and even loving her husband dearly, she didn't let his traditional and conservative ways to keep her of being a successful violinist. Of course Michiru misses her, because Natsuki was always away for work, how could she not? But being her daughter was reason enough to understand and support her.

That left Ami. Ami, with her big eyes and her low-key voice. Ami, who played a sad cello, no matter how happy the tune was, Ami, who loved books and math equations and was already gathering attention of renowned universities, national and international. 

Ami, whose heart was so big and full of love for her old cousin that she didn't even bother with the idea being a cellist and a future teacher at the conservatory. If, by doing that, she would be able to help Michiru achieving her dreams, it was great. The younger girl always admired Michiru 's strength. Not in a million years, Ami felt like she could just leave her home to live in another country, or anything Michiru already did in her 16 years of existing on this planet. 

Ami didn't carry the Kaiou surname, but that didn't meant she wasn't a Kaiou woman. Therefore, she would have to follow her mother and grandmother, and all the women before her, and be what they wanted her to be. No matter what she wanted to. No matter if she was studying so hard to go to a great college or if she was too shy to be a teacher. She would become a musician and not give her family any more reason to be mad at Michiru, thinking that she was a bad influence. That could jeopardize everything, the relationship between the two cousins and of course Michiru's relationship towards her family. 

And Ami couldn't allow that. 

In the morning of Michiru’s last day off, a lovely and warm Sunday, the conservatory was closed and the women were using one of the rehearsal rooms. Saeko was getting ready for her audition, so she could use all the help she could get, being out of the game for so long left her a little rusty. Ami was beside her, trying to follow her mother’s rhythm, providing a good base for her solo. She wasn't a bad player, but she lacked passion. 

Natsuki offered to help her sister in law; it was a good opportunity for her, to feel some family love. It was so rare for her to have a time off, when she wasn't traveling so spending with her family was almost mandatory. And she knew all about how hard working in an orchestra was, and how demanding that could be, specially because she knew Saeko hadn´t play professionally in almost 15 years. 

Natsuki was grateful for everything her sister in law did for her. For taking care of Michiru, for stepping up and taking care of the family business when Daiki, her lovely and good for nothing husband left everything behind to be a teacher.

The woman knew she owed Saeko a lot. She also felt bad and guilty for the mess she got everyone into. Natsuki knew she was a selfish woman, and felt like her actions had a lot of downsides on her husband's family. But she wouldn't bow to tradition or her husband's will. She spent her younger days listening to own mother telling her that she could give everything to a man, give up everything for him, just for him to die early and leave her alone, with a small child to rise. Natsuki wasn't even 10 years old when she decided she would fight against all the odds and give herself a future different from her mother's. And she would make her future husband understand that. 

Of course she was still working on that. Daiki was a loving husband and a devoted father, but he was also stubborn as a mule. But so was she. That explained why they were always on each other's back, ready to rip their throats out. Especially with the entire Michiru situation. Natsuki looked up from tuning violin to her daughter, who was sat at the grand piano, practicing some songs for school. She was proud of her baby girl. Since the day Michiru was born, Natsuki knew she was destined to great things. 

"OK ladies, we are all here today to enjoy each other's company and help Saeko-chan to do a great job interview next week," she started, her voice echoing on the empty classroom. "Michiru will provide the base for the songs with her piano and we will follow. I got music sheets from the Revue, so Saeko-chan and Michiru can focus on that."

Natsuki smiled at her daughter and brought her violin to her shoulder. With a nod from her mother, Michiru started to play. Her strokes were still weak and she was struggling to deal with the instrument. After all, she was a violinist. She looked at the keys and remembered when, right before her final tests, Haruka sat beside her to help her study. She remembered her long fingers moving on the keyboard so easily, so fast and so strong. And Michiru loved seeing Haruka play. Loved to see her delicate hands dominating such a strong instrument.

‘...and I'd give anything for Haruka to do the same with me...’ Michiru thought suddenly and took a deep breath to focus on the task at hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first series is almost over. I hope to post the next chapter in the next few weeks :)


	13. April

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its the beginning of their second year at school and some new faces appear :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey peeps, I hope this one finds you all well. I didnt abandon this story, had another bad case of writer´s block and then life happened. I´m truly sorry and I hope you all like this chapter :)  
> Thanks for all hits, bookmarks and reviews. I love to hear from all of you, so feel free to tell me your thoughts :)

Chapter 13

 

The school gym was full of people in that warm April morning. The freshmen class was aligned in the middle of the gym, looking forwards the stage where the teachers and instructors stood, among other members of the faculty. They were listening to the welcome speeches; everyone was just thrilled to be there. After all, all the 37 new students admitted to the freshmen class had to work really hard to show that they deserved to be there, wearing that grey uniform.  
They were in silence when the Hokansei class entered the gym. All eyes were on them. They had just one year left on their training to become full Siennes, and the teachers expected a lot from them. Especially from the top students. They had their stage gender assigned and were supposed to find their new name during the time they had off.  
For the teachers, that was a very strong class, with many good candidates to thrive in the revue. In their very competitive world, any advantage could make a great career. So they needed to grasp that opportunity, of this being their last year and just be amazing. Because the world of a Sienne was so much more than sparkles and smiles and this class needed to start understanding that.  
Haruka was the last one in line, since she was the tallest girl in her class. It was her first time walking into the gym as a second year student and she felt like she would burst with pride. She looked different, with her hair short and she felt different, for being so close to her dream. And she smiled.  
The entrance ceremony was basically the same from last year, only this time Haruka and her friends were in a different class. They sang a song, had speeches, welcomed the newcomers and got ready for their day. Nothing too fancy or different from the years before. After all, tradition was very important. 

*****

Due the entrance ceremony, the second year class would only have classes in the afternoon. Even practicing almost every day, Michiru missed dancing inside the school walls. She missed being in a place where people were glad to see her there. After her fight with her father, their relationship deteriorated even faster. Daiki barely said two words to her during her days off, preferring to spend his time practicing or helping at the conservatory.  
Her mother had asked her to have patience, maybe now he would understand. Daiki wasn't the kind of man who changed his mind easily. He was too bound to his old-fashioned ways, locked inside an ever-changing family. Natsuki was worried about him: he was quieter than usual. Maybe he was just processing everything that had happened.  
She sighed, getting ready for her long day. At least Haruka and her friends were there and she hoped the school year ended as fast as it had started.

****

The first class for the second year students was more an orientation. They learned, although their time being responsible for cleaning the school grounds were over, they got freshmen assigned to them, so they could supervise. Haruka didn't really have a lot of time with her supervisor during her first year, but she vowed to make some time for the girl the school chose for her.  
They also learned the class would be divided in two, one with the musumeyakus and one with the otokoyakus. They would still have many classes together, but their training would be different in some points, since their gender roles required different things. The tall girl felt bad, because she would be alone most of the time, since she was the only otokoyaku within her group of friends. Nevertheless, this could give her some necessary time with her classmates, the girls who were now her companions in this year, since now they would need to learn everything on how to be a believable man on stage.  
Haruka wasn't really worried about that, she had two older brothers and a male best friend, and being a tomboy herself, she didn't exactly felt too feminine in her entire life. Her voice was naturally deep; she just needed practice to be a better singer.  
The girl was feeling happy and excited about the year she would have. Haruka also knew the bond she formed with her friends on their first year wouldn’t easily disappear; even if they didn't spent a lot of time together. She looked around, looking at all the other girls’ faces. They would be always the 115th class, no matter what.

*******

Kino Makoto woke up and felt like she didn't really want to get up. Checking the time, she realized she had less than 20 minutes to get dressed and leave her room. She wasn't one to be late and in fact, she hated being late.  
She sat on her bed and sighed. Her routine was so hard and she was already feeling pretty tired. Of course, the girl already felt terrible for feeling like this in just one month as a music school student. She was always someone who had a lot of energy, but waking up this early every day pretty much drained her whole.  
She got dressed in a record time, jumped on a train and joined her fellow classmates in the line front of the school. It was still dark outside, but at least it wasn't cold. With summer just around the corner, it was expected to get warmer and warmer.  
The girl looked around to see the other girls she went to school with. Everyone was looking down and some of them seemed more tired than she was. Maybe it was a common thing, since they were still getting used to being students in a highly demanding place. Makoto missed her family back in Kyoto, since she barely spent any time with them, and life at school was much harder than she ever imagined. Maybe if she had listened to her ballet teacher, she would be feeling better now. After all, Mayuko was a former Sienne.  
But for a 15 year old teenager, whose reality didn't involve a lot of responsibilities, giving herself to her studies in the way the revue demanded was a little too much. Makoto hadn’t know what she wanted to be when she grown up. Her father inherited their family karate dojo, where she quickly learnt her family style of fighting. However, the girl also had a very delicate soul. Her mother worked as a baker until she bought a small cafe in their neighborhood. Kyoto was a very picturesque town, with a lot of history and tradition decorating the streets, so her mother's cafe brought a modern setting for their residential neighborhood.  
Makoto and her brother Tadashi started early at the dojo, but Makoto had a very unique and restless soul. She divided her time between school, karate class and helping her mother with her cafe. At 12, she was already a very accomplished baker and a decent fighter.  
But always restless, she decided to join her school ballet and traditional dance classes. She was always so eager and full of energy, in no time she was already the best student in the class and her teacher was the first to suggest she could try for Takarazuka Music School when she finished junior high. Makoto was tall and lean, a little bit tomboyish, so maybe it would be a good idea.  
The girl, who had never had heard of the revue before, ended looking up about it and decided to give it a chance. She knew she would be bored soon with ballet and stuff, so she didn't really wanted to build any hope to get into TMS.  
But everything she did, she did amazingly. She was the best dancer, she could excel ballet moves really fast and by the age of 14, she was getting ready to become a black belt at her father's dojo. But the only time she felt centered and at ease was at her mother's cafe, helping her baking delicious goods. It was like working with her hands, using frosting to create beautiful cakes, was everything she needed to stay focused.  
However, she broke her right hand during karate practice, so she got another thing to focus on in her life: her dance, since she couldn't work with her hand for a while. Her mother then had decided to take her to study for the TMS exams in Osaka, in a small, but well renowned ballet studio, owned by a former Sienne. She saw true talent in her daughter, so why not try?  
Makoto didn't minded going to Osaka twice a week. She liked to dance and her instructor seemed content to have her there. She was still adamant in just letting things follow their course, just practicing hard to avoid thinking about her hand. She knew everyone expected a lot from her, and Makoto felt as if she shouldn't let them down, but her heart just wasn't on this.  
Everything changed when one of Mayuko's former students, her pride and joy and most successful case, went back to the studio to help her instructor during her time off. Seeing how fluid, how serene, how beautiful that aquamarine haired girl moved, and Mayuko's efforts in presenting the revue to her students as a place where dreams were made, Makoto couldn't help but feel the change in her heart.  
Now she was a proud, but tired, student of the Music School. The commute was the worst part of her day, but since her mother was working to open another bakery in Osaka, she would stay there until she finished school. So the girl was looking forward to that. Kyoto was about one hour and a half away from Takarazuka, so the distance wasn’t enough to guarantee her a dorm at school.  
"Good morning, Kino-san," her supervisor's deep voice woke Makoto from her thoughts. She looked up and saw Haruka, who was assigned to her after the entrance ceremony. Haruka was this bright and incredible future Sienne and Makoto was completely infatuated with her. They didn't have a lot of time together, just a few minutes before classes and after lunch, where Haruka checked her cleaning work and explained to her how everything worked at school. And Haruka was friends with Mayuko's pupil, Michiru, who Makoto secretly admired and was one of her main inspirations to become a student at TMS.  
Haruka knew she couldn't spend too much with the younger student. Being a second year made her even busier than ever and she was starting to feel pressured to thrive again, since she was one of the best in her class. The second year class was already practicing for the fundraiser that happens every May, where they would put colorful kimonos and perform to a very restrict public. It wasn't like the bunkasai, but it was the first event of the year, and Haruka wanted to show she was indeed a good performer, not someone who got lucky.  
She felt weird having the first years looking up to her, but she would do her best to be an example to those girls. 

******

Naru was excited to be in Takarazuka again. She had a couple of really busy months, balancing school and work at her mother's jewelry store and the girl felt like she deserved a well spent time off everything. Still felt foreigner to her this feeling of crescent devotion she was harboring in her chest and Mayumi, her mother, couldn't be prouder. Her daughter's heart had choose a really young girl, still a student at TMS, and Mayumi was curious to meet her.  
So mother and daughter cleared their schedules and decided to enjoy their day off back at the city they both held dear in her hearts. It was the annual fundraising event and a chance for them to show their love and respect for the revue. And of course, to meet the new students. For Naru, it was another chance to meet the young student who stole her heart. She still felt really awkward for the change that happened in her life, especially since she knew next to nothing about the said student.  
When they parked their car, Naru could see the students were already positioned perfectly at the stairs that lead to the theater complex. They wore colorful kimonos and polite smiles on their faces. It was a sunny day, perfect for a day out and Naru smiled when she saw her student, looking so happy in her yellow and green kimono.  
A TV crew was working at the moment mother and daughter got there, probably working on a segment for the Sky Stage, the revue cable channel. The students looked pretty happy for doing that job and having some closer contact to the public.  
Naru smiled when she saw how composed her student was. How tall she had become since the last time she saw her saw. How beautiful her smile was and how good she looked with her short blonde hair. Naru didn't even know if that girl's career would turn out in the future.  
But if she had to make a choice, she would follow her heart and support that girl in the day she fully graduated.  
And maybe even beyond...


	14. Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update, work decided to kick my butt repeatedly. I would like to thank my beta and of course, to all of you who are still reading this.

Chapter 14

June brought their summer uniforms out, as the weather got warmer and also, their first test week as seniors. As usual, none of the girls in Haruka's group had any difficulties and they all got high scores, with Haruka being the first of the class this time.

The blonde girl was so excited with her grades, she couldn't contain herself. Haruka was gathering attention of her instructors, and the freshmen were looking towards her with deep admiration, and maybe a little jealousy of the young girl assigned to her, Kino Makoto. Michiru was proud of her friend, she was proud of all her friends and how well they were going at school. She knew they worked hard for their results.

As seniors they had more time together doing activities other than just studying. They would have their first photo-shoot of the year, Haruka was especially excited about it, because it would be the first time she did something like that other than school pictures. Not that she minded, she loved her grey uniform, but she also missed being in regular clothes too.

The senior class walked to the photo-shoot location, Kohama Park, a quiet green spot next to the post office. The park was 25 minutes away from the school by foot and the 37 girls walked fast, along with the staff who would be working in the shooting, and two of their instructors. They were all quiet, maybe feeling a little nervous over their first official photo session.

They were wearing their fancy clothes; Haruka opted for dark jeans, a purple buttons down, a grey vest and a black tie. She had applied some light make up and was struggling with her tie while waiting for the photo-shoot to get started. Maybe she was more nervous than she thought. And of course, Haruka felt so stupid for not doing something so easily like tying a bowtie. Why she decided to wear that one? Haruka could just choose a clip-on but no, she had to go with the other one...

"Do you need any assistance?" Michiru quietly whispered to her, watching some of her classmates posing for the first set of photos. The aquamarine girl watched her friend and her battle to get a perfect bow and lose epically. So she decided to help, after all, she had a lot of practice with that; she was the one who did the same thing for her father when he had perfomances.

"This terrible thing is messing with me, it seemed so easy when I tried back on my room," Haruka said, sounding annoyed. The taller girl looked up and let Michiru help tying her knot.

"Have you thought that maybe you are just nervous?" Michiru smirked, she felt so comfortable next to Haruka, more than with any of her other classmates. After their incident on New Year’s they had gotten closer. With all the study, classes, and rehearsals, Michiru barely had time to think about that. With expert hands, she finished with Haruka's bowtie and stood back for a second, to look at her work.

"Nervous? I don't get nervous," Haruka said, smiling, over confident as ever. "I just have to close my eyes and take a deep breath and I'm perfectly calm, able to face anything."

"Easy just like that?" Michiru didn't really believe her. She fixed Haruka's tie, it was a little crooked. "Just close my eyes and I won't be nervous? Ever again?" It was hard to believe Haruka had mastered her own nerves.

"Easy like that." The future otokoyaku flashed her best boyish smile to her friend, feeling a little over confident now that her tie was fixed. Haruka looked over her shoulder and saw that the first group was almost done with their shoot. Did she really take that much time struggling with her outfit? Looking back to Michiru, Haruka felt her breath being taken away. Her friend looked so beautiful in her teal sundress, taking advantage of the weather. The sun had been shining all morning, but it wasn't that hot.

"You look beautiful, Michiru." haruka said, with a gentle smile on her face.

Michiru blinked, feeling a little shy.

"Thank you, you too cleaned really good."

They kept looking at each other, trying to find words to keep a conversation going. Haruka was sure she never saw a girl who looked more beautiful than her aquamarine haired classmate did. Not back home, not during the time she went to regular school, not back in Hakui. Michiru had this classic, elegant beauty, which was not a surprise, since she came from an old family and from what she had seen of the Kaiou, they were all beautiful women. She could see similarities between the Kaiou women she met, but Michiru was just one of a kind.

"Next group, pay attention, you´re up!" Their instructor called them; it was their time to be in front of the camera.

******

They also had to the grand theater as a class, to see for themselves how the whole theater complex worked. And of course, that blew those students minds. Being able to be there, looking at their future and of course, learning how everything worked, it was indeed a great experience.

And they were able to watch a few rehearsals, seeing really close how the Siennes worked. It was almost scary to see them in their natural habitat, looking so fierce during fight scenes, with their well-rehearsed moves. Or seeing how delicate and passionate a look between two lovers can be.

Haruka felt a weird feeling in her heart as she watched a love scene developing before her eyes. Most of the plays she would be performing in the future would be mainly love stories and the idea of imitating love was truly foreign to her. She was 16 years old: she never had someone to be that close, and she had never been kissed before.

Or kissed someone.

The closest she got to feel any romantic feelings was during that awkward New Years Eve Night, at Michiru's apartment. Until that day, Haruka never had really thought about having someone in her life. She was always too focused on her goal, in becoming a Sienne, in making her career successful. As a child, she ever really cared about that and now, as a teenager, she was worried about her future career. Who had time to think about something so unnecessary like love when she was trying to make her best to get in an insanely competitive path?

However, looking at those two women, reciting memorized lines about hardships and declaring their love to each other, made Haruka's heart shed a tear. She spent the past months, since that night, trying to figure out her own feelings about what happened. During that night, when she danced with the most beautiful girl she ever met in her young life. The girl whose heart and soul were so intense, dedicated, and pure.

Since that night, Haruka tried to forget any feelings she thought she had flowing inside her. Tried to murder it implacably. Because she did not have a place for love in her life. Not for a classmate. Not for a future co-worker.

Not for a friend.

"Are you okay?"

A hand in her shoulder and a whisper in her ear startled Haruka; she was so deep in her thoughts that she barely registered someone was talking to her. She turned her head to look at Michiru. Michiru: always so pretty, always so attentive, with her sad and deep blue eyes who could read her like a book. Michiru who always gave her strength to be her very best.

Haruka smiled, closing her eyes for a moment to let a single tear fall through her beautiful face. She nodded, she was fine. She was okay now. Everything would be fine now.

If what Haruka felt that night was her first grasp of love, she was happy. Because her heart couldn't have chosen someone better than Michiru. And Haruka was also sure her summer vacation would give enough time to figure out her feelings towards Michiru.

*******

July came as one of the busiest months the girls had since school started. They had to prepare for the international chorus contest, were they would make a presentation with former Siennes, and Haruka was slightly worried, since she still felt like her voice was her weak point. She had more confidence in her dance, day after day she felt like she was getting better and better as a dancer, not just as the ballerina she was.

And they had a school trip, where they would spend three days and two nights away from school. The idea of the school trip was to bring the class together and to make memories that the girls would cherish forever.

Haruka was so grateful when Michiru came to her rescue, as usual. Since she was, by far, the best singer in their group. She could reach some pretty low keys and also she nailed the higher ones, her perfect ear helping her with that. All then practicing and studying music came in hand, after all.

The performance was the first big presentation of their class, and since it would be broadcasted, Haruka hoped her family back in Nagano would watch her. The experience of being in a professional stage, in a huge event like that, with people coming from all around the world to see their chorus abilities, made the young girls really nervous, especially those who would be performing solo pieces. Some of them had auditioned to participate in the contest. Michiru was encouraged by her friends to participate but she declined, saying she already had a lot to do, with classes and after-classes lessons. She wanted to get better playing the piano and at dancing, she still felt she was so behind in her class.

But that was just another step on their path to become full Siennes soon.

They would graduate in March. Time was running too fast now.

******

Haruka was already dressed when her roommate, Sachiko, woke up. She cursed and started run around their tiny room to get ready. She didn’t want to be scolded again for being late. Haruka felt sorry for the girl, especially because, apparently, she didn't care less about school. That was a real shame, because she was a decent dancer and had some good skills at acting. Haruka felt like she should work more on her singing, but after months of living together, the blonde girl didn't felt like she and her roommate were exactly friends.

In the past, Haruka would be sad by that, but now, she was too busy to care about that. And it wasn't like she was all alone at school. She had her friends, she had Michiru. Her days were filled with smiles and encouragement. She tried her best to be there for her friends, even not being around them all the time, since she had her otokoyaku training to worry.

Haruka looked at her mirror for the last time, to check her hair. She wasn't that worried about her looks before cutting her hair, but she learned to care about looking always her best. After all, looks were very important for an actress. She felt a little too shallow for thinking like that, but she couldn't help not doing it. Haruka was learning a lot about makeup and skin care, and even if the students weren't allowed to use make up at school, they had to learn about it for the future careers.

Haruka left their room where Sachiko was still getting ready, she couldn't risk being late. Her day would be already too busy and she didn't want to start it by being scolded.

******

"So we have the contest, our school trip and then it's summer vacation!" Takako said, a little too excited. The girls were getting ready for their modern dance class and she looked at her group of friends, all of them dressed in their black leotards. She looked around her class, everyone had their stage surnames written on their chest, and they all looked so beautiful.

"Where do you think we will go?" Michiru asked, she was new to overnight school trips, since she went to school in the US. She couldn't believe they were so close to summer vacation. She wasn't that excited to spend 30 days at home, as usual. Maybe Mayuko-san would be happy to have her helping again with the studio. Or maybe at her family's school, she missed playing her violin lately.

"We're going to Tokyo," Kaoru chimed in, already working on her stretching exercises. "You know, visit our theater there, and a few others. My parents told me last time I talked to them." She explained, paying attention to her exercises. "They asked me to be careful and they were excited to see me this summer," she said with a smile on her face.

Haruka felt a weird sadness on her chest. She hadn’t seen her family since school started in April, when she was home for spring vacation, and being back in school, Haruka barely talked to them, since she was always so busy. She couldn´t help but wonder if that would be her life, barely maintaining contact with people she loved the most. The thought only made her upset and she silently made a vow she wouldn't let that happen. Her family was important to her and she would let them know that more often.

She felt bad for not knowing what was happening to her brothers, or her parents, or her best friend... Maybe she couldn’t call Mamoru like that anymore, since she didn’t had any time to even send him a letter and finding out how life was treating him. Maybe she was just too selfish to care about them all; Haruka just had one subject on mind: becoming a Sienne. Of course, Mamoru and her entire family knew that and Haruka knew they were the most supportive group she could ask for, but still...

Maybe it was a good idea for her to spend some time with them during her summer vacation. If she didn’t have any summer class or workshops or performances to attend. Since this was her final year at school, she had to keep her mind in the game, focused on her future years as a Sienne.

******

A week later the girls were walking back to school after their successful performance at the international chorus contest. The discipline taught in school was visible in the way they looked, all of them so quiet and walking fast. They were excited and a little stressed, especially the girls who participated in the contest.

Michiru sighed; she still had her commute to Osaka. To be honest, she couldn't wait to graduate and finally move permanently to Takarazuka. That way she could live her life without feeling she was a sore spot in her father's eyes. Michiru had her safety net at home with her mother, aunt and cousin, but her father's rejection just hurt her deeply.

Being really honest with herself, Michiru was afraid her decision to pursue her dream would affect her relationship with Daiki for the long run. She was envious of her friends and how they talked about their families and how proud they were of their daughters being students in one of the most prestigious schools in the country, with a valuable career choice. Takako had even a younger sister who was currently practicing hard for her entrance exam; Kaoru was always talking about how her parents helped her prepare for her life in Takarazuka and Haruka... Well, Haruka knew how uncomfortable Michiru was when they started to talk about family, but she couldn't be helped sometimes telling her friends about how supportive her family, specially her grandmother, was.

Maybe that's why she became so dedicated to her studies. Because that was her future, being a full time Sienne would make her life easier. That way she wouldn't have to be bounded to a life she didn't want and she could even prevent a loveless marriage, since she wasn't her family´s school heir anymore. She already had many issues with her dad for bailing on him like that, having the audacity of defying his will. Michiru really didn’t wanted to add coming out as a lesbian to that.

Even having the prospect of a life full of exhausting schedules and strict rules, Michiru smiled. Because she knew that was the only way she would be truly free and become the independent woman her mother and aunt worked so hard to raise.

As they walked back to their school, Michiru looked around, seeing all her classmates and she felt bad for not really knowing all of them.

*******

Right before their summer vacation started, the senior class went to their school trip, a three day, two night away time from everything, just visiting a few theaters, including Tokyo Takarazuka Theather, the National Theater of Japan and the Imperial Theater; the Shinjuku campus of the Takarazuka University, where they had some motivational lectures about how important dealing with their future careers and discipline.

They also had many official pictures to celebrate their trip and upcoming graduation, and made a presentation for the student body and faculty of the University. It was fun and entertaining days for the senior class. They went to the Zoo, and the Shintoist temple nearby, where they could pray and wish for a long and prosper careers.

In their class, just Haruka, Michiru, and two other girls had been to Tokyo. Haruka, with her grandma when she was 10 and Michiru, many times when she was a young girl, since both her parents worked in the city. When they visited the Opera House, Michiru felt a pang in her heart. That place was so important for her parents, they performed there so many times and she knew they wanted to see her on that stage someday... She just hoped her father would be happy eventually with her career choice... The girl really missed him and now, with graduation approaching faster, she just wanted to, finally, be at peace with him...

*******

Michiru woke up startled, in the middle of night. She was out of breath and her forehead was wet with sweat. She looked around the room, seeing many of her classmates still deep in their sleep. Her heart was beating so fast, and Michiru touched her face, feeling how harm her cheeks were.

A dream.

A dream made her feel like that, made her all flushed and uncomfortable. She sat up on her futon, trying to calm down and not make a single sound at the same time, since she had 20 other girls around her. Michiru rose up and stumbled to the bathroom, she needed some to throw some water on her face.

Honestly, she barely remembered her dream, the sole reason why she woke up. She could just remember the feelings, how her body reacted…

And hands... Oh, those hands…

She dreamed of hands. Hands touching her, hands feeling her whole body…. Michiru took a deep breath, she felt like her body was on fire… She never felt anything like that before and why did that had to happen when she was so far from home? She closed herself in the bathroom, letting her body sink against the door.

She had dreamed of Haruka´s hands…

Michiru looked at the mirror, seeing her own reflection. She didn’t really understand what had happened or why, but she wanted that feeling to go away... How she was supposed to look on her friend´s face now? With her subconscious playing with her like that?

But felt so real, the way Haruka had kissed her, the way she had touched her, the way that... More cold water on her face and deep breaths and maybe she would go back to normal. Closing her eyes, Michiru felt her heartbeat slowing down and she decided to leave the safe spot in the bathroom, to go back to the dorm and sleep, since they would be leaving early.

Haruka stood there, in front of the door, ready to knock when Michiru opened up. The aquamarine girl looked up, surprised to see her friend there. She was supposed to be sleeping with the other girls, not there.

"Michiru? Hey?" The taller girl asked, looking at her friend with a sleepy curiosity. She got up to go to the bathroom, and didn’t really expect to see her friend up too. "You looked flushed, is there anything wrong?"

"Why are you up?" Michiru asked, trying to deflect Haruka´s question. She didn’t really know how to answer that and her mind went completely blank, preventing her to imagine any excuse. Haruka stepped closer, raising her hand to touch Michiru´s forehead, to check if she had a fever or something.

"Full bladder. Are you feeling okay?"

Panic-stricken, Michiru deflected Haruka´s hand. She couldn’t handle being touched by those hands right now… By those long, perfect for piano, fingers. Not now, after that dream, maybe not ever. If Michiru was trying to suppress her feelings, she would have to do a better job, not start dreaming about Haruka... No, that was just wrong. When she thought her life couldn’t get more complicated.

Haruka withdrew her hand, taken back for her friend´s reaction.

"I´m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said, not really understanding what was happening. But she was still sleepy and tired of her day, so she figured Michiru was feeling the same. "Can I use the bathroom now?" Michiru stepped aside and let Haruka pass by her. She passed so close by her, Michiru could smell her soap. How she was supposed to go back to sleep after that?

And again, why was her life constantly kicking her in the butt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, thanks for all comments, kudos and bookmarks. You guys are amazing!


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